Tanz

Visual Description

The work shows a single figure in an extreme backbend, frozen in a moment of maximum tension. The body is partly rendered naturalistically in grays and blacks and partly covered by luminous fields of color. Turquoise, yellow, pink and orange erupt from the figure and seem both to carry it and to tear it apart.

A semicircular trail of color curves around the body—like an energetic path, a trace of movement through space. The background remains calm and almost neutral, so the figure’s dynamism stands out all the more. The black frame reinforces the impression of a concentrated, self-contained scene.

Artistic Interpretation

“Tanz” (German for “dance”) is not a depiction of choreography but a picture about surrender and loss of control. The figure is caught in the moment of letting go—between balance and fall, between bodily control and emotional outburst. Movement is understood here not as a sequence but as an existential state.

The luminous colors act like inner forces pushing out of the body. They contrast with the gray figuration, which recalls discipline, form and limitation. In this work, Matthias Hübner explores dance as an inner process: an act of self-overcoming, but also of self-liberation.

Art-Historical Context

Formally, the work moves between figurative painting and expressive abstraction. The body language recalls expressive dance and the Expressionist movement studies of the early twentieth century, while the targeted use of color establishes a contemporary, emotional visual language.

The combination of a clearly drawn figure and eruptive color belongs to a modern tradition in which the human body is understood as a carrier of inner states—not idealized, but as a resonant space for emotion and energy.

Exclusivity

Matthias Hübner’s signature style shows here in the precise balance between control and intuition. The figure is deliberately clear, while the color acts freely, almost untamed. This tension gives the work its particular intensity.

“Tanz” is a self-contained work that needs no narrative explanation. It has an immediate effect—physical, emotional, present.

Collector Value

This work is especially suited to collectors and spaces concerned with movement, physicality and emotional expression. Thanks to its compact format and framing, it feels concentrated and powerful, both in private collections and in curated presentations.

“Tanz” unfolds its effect in stillness—as stored movement, as a moment of pure energy.

More About the Artist

Matthias Hübner (b. 1976) combines high-contrast black and white with neon/UV color in modern surrealistic realism; people, emotions and open interpretations are at the center, and since 2020 he has been working experimentally again. Early prizes (GDR 1989, Europe 1993) and his selection as a 2025 Teravarna finalist mark his development.

Condition Report

Condition: no visible defects. A detailed condition report is available on request.