CAG.1995 Lotte Funke, Landscape, 1975-76, oil on canvas, 100 x 120 cm. Presented, 2000. © the artist.

We’re registering the seasonal change with this WORK OF THE WEEK!

Landscape (1975-76) by Lotte Funke places the viewer within a thicket near a riverbank. On the opposite bank, a flat plain opens up as the river gently meanders through and the sun rises or sets. Among the branches in the foreground, several birds may be spotted, while closer inspection reveals a frog, spider’s web, and bloodied feathers.

“This painting was the result of long walks along the banks of the river Regnitz in Erlangen,” the artist explains of the origin of this work and the riparian landscape near Nuremberg, Germany that inspired it. “Towards the end of summer dozens of storks meet there and start their flight to the south,” she continues and notes that “the so-called ‘dead-arms’ of the river with their unbridled vegetation and rare animals starts into season.” Birds of prey such as buzzards find nourishment “in the vast meadows and croaking crows settle on the bare branches. Suddenly these idyllic places seem to be very threatening.”

Lotte Funke (b.1938) is a German visual artist. Born in Nuremberg, she lives and works in Erlangen and has travelled widely throughout South-East Asia and Asia. She began painting to document her experiences and has exhibited widely, including at Éigse / Carlow Arts Festival (1992) and the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin.

Landscape (1975-76) by Lotte Funke is featured in MENAGERIE: Animals by Artists (Floor 1) until 6 March 2022.

TTune into The Arts House with Elmarie Mawe on Cork’s 96FM and C103FM every Sunday morning as Conor Tallon chats with assistant curator Michael Waldron about each WORK OF THE WEEK! Listen back to this week's chat here:

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