Brandenburg (2013) Original Acrylic Painting by Ralf Schmidt

The first sketch for this work emerged during a cycling trip through Brandenburg, Germany. I was drawn to the mysterious emptiness of old village squares – traces of decline, isolation and places left behind. A crow sits among the buildings. Perhaps it is one of the last inhabitants; perhaps it is a bird of prey, taking whatever remains. Who knows where it came from? Maybe it has picked the place clean itself.
At an exhibition, a visitor looked at the painting and remarked: “That’s exactly how it is – everything picked clean.” I did not see it quite so negatively. As tourists, we tend to romanticise abandoned places. Yet there is some truth in the comment. For me, the crow and the empty square leave a question hanging in the air: are we looking at a lost idyll, social change, or the quiet traces of decline?

Materials used:

Acrylic and gesso on canvas

Details:

• Acrylic painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 100 x 100 x 2cm
• Ready to hang
• Signed on the back
• Style: Urban and Pop
• Subject: Landscapes, sea and sky