Reise (Journey)

Visual Description

“Reise” shows a man seen from behind. He wears a hat and a dark jacket and carries an old suitcase in his right hand. His left arm is raised, and an open black umbrella stands at an angle above his shoulder. The figure is painted in black, white and gray.

The background is held in strong red and turquoise. The paint has been scraped and layered, creating a mottled, almost weathered surface. The work is framed in black.

Artistic Interpretation

The title names the theme: departure, being on the move, a path with an open destination. The man stands with his back to the viewer, his face out of sight. Suitcase and hat point to a journey that can be read as literal or symbolic.

The umbrella seems less a protection from rain than a companion. The vivid colors around the dark figure create a tension between uncertainty and anticipation. The painting leaves open whether the journey is beginning or ending.

Art-Historical Context

Since Caspar David Friedrich, the figure seen from behind has been a central motif in painting. The man in a hat also recalls the figures of René Magritte, in which the everyday and the enigmatic interlock. Hübner joins these references with a contemporary, graphically clear visual language.

Exclusivity

“Reise” is a unique work in acrylic on painting board, measuring 52 × 42 cm, framed in black. It is painted with UV-reactive paint; under black light the red and turquoise emerge as a second pictorial layer.

It belongs to the “Schirm” (Umbrella) series, which Hübner has been developing since 2025, and to the group “Body and Resonance.”

Collector Value

The framed, manageable format is ready to hang and suits living rooms, studies, offices or hotel rooms. Together with “Sommerregen,” it can form a pair from the series.

“Reise” is one of the most recent works in the series and offers a good entry point into Hübner’s work.

More About the Artist

Matthias Hübner (b. 1976) combines high-contrast figuration with intense color and an open, psychologically charged visual language in modern surrealistic realism. People, emotions and different levels of perception are at the center of his work. Since returning to painting in 2020, he has continued to develop his artistic position experimentally.

Early awards at the GDR youth painting competition in 1989 and the European painting competition in 1993, along with international recognition in recent years, mark his artistic development.

Condition Report

Very good condition; no visible defects. A detailed condition report is available on request.