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Abendsonne |
Description of the painting
During her artist residency in Brig, Valais, Alexandra Weidmann visited the neighboring village of Naters, home to an impressive ossuary. The rows of skulls and bones, both haunting and peaceful in their silent presence, left a deep impression. This experience gave rise to the painting Abendsonne (Evening Sun): a multi-layered exploration of life, transience, and the beauty of the in-between.
In the center of the picture stands an older woman who proudly and defiantly presents her breasts, exposed from an unbuttoned dress, to the viewer. To her left, a young woman sits asleep on a bench leaning against a wall of skulls and large leg bones. To the right of the central figure is a flowerpot with a newly sprouted plant. Together, they symbolize the cycle of nature and trust in the future. The focus here is not on female fertility, but on the period in a woman's life after menopause. She throws shame and restraint overboard. She focuses on the satisfaction of her own lust. Death is no longer distant or threatening, but omnipresent, woven into the fabric of life. Man lives – and at the same time lives with the awareness of its finiteness.
The title Abendsonne (Evening Sun) draws attention to the light that shines over
the scene: a warm, golden glow that marks the transition from day to night. It is
the light of pause, of understanding that every day—and every life—is fleeting.
Thus, at this moment, the three great Baroque maxims of life merge:
Carpe Diem – seize the day
Vanitas – all is fleeting
Memento Mori – remember death
Weidmann's painting combines these classical ideas with a contemporary, feminine perspective. The figures are powerful, physical, unadorned. They display sensuality and vulnerability at the same time. The bright, contrasting colors lend the scene energy and immediacy—they make the theme of transience appear not gloomy, but intensely alive.
Abendsonne is thus a modern vanitas painting: a reflection on the beauty and fragility of life. It invites us not to despair in the face of death, but to affirm existence all the more consciously—in the warm, last light of day.