Grey Bonnet - Georg Meistermann

Georg Meistermann's 1952 oil painting "Graue Haube" ("Grey Bonnet") concludes the series of paintings of women. The phrase 'coming under the bonnet' traditionally referred to marriage. A bonnet was therefore long regarded as a sign of women's dignity and respectability and was an integral part of almost all women's costumes throughout Europe. Based on the title, we can therefore assume that Meistermann has painted a woman here - albeit not recognizably individualized. He also appears to have depicted the ribbons that are often tied under the chin, which are characteristic of female bonnet. We see areas delimited by thin black lines, each filled in with one color. This allows us to associate shadowy shoulders and a head - protected by a bonnet. Other facial features can be picked out, shown in different perspectives.

Of course, Meistermann did not want to depict a real woman with a bonnet with these abstract forms. The concept of the female portrait merely served him as a starting point. By abstracting the subject, i.e. dissolving the concrete and recognizable elements, Meistermann wanted to elevate the genre to another level that would show the essence behind the visual habits.