Just as the world entered lock down and fears of a "new normal" started becoming reality, Friedrich Kunath was finalizing his upcoming print release with Avant Arte studio. The Last Perfect Day (quite ironic, no?) will be released July 1st @ 4pm CET via AvantArte.com as a hand-finished digital base print with two-color, screen printed, high tactile lines on 320 gsm Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper, signed, numbered, dated and ready-to-hang in a floating frame.

 

“The Last Perfect Day stems from a show I did with Adam Rabinowitz and has a cosmic apocalyptic feel— it makes the piece melancholic,” Kunatha says. “The painting was maybe too pretty, and the title pushed it into a direction where the haze of a new-beginnings morning could either be very consoling or foreboding. And I love that.” 

Painted on a paper-like surface with blue and red lines and binding holes on the border, the print connects with Kunath's early works in which he used to distract himself from the pressure of a blank canvas by literally turning into a notepad paper. This image is a classic example of all things we love about one of our favorite painters—pushing the influence of Hudson River School landscapes to the kitsch extremes of a Venice beach towel aesthetic, with the main image depicting an oversaturated woodlands landscape at dusk/dawn.

Friedrich Kunath Avant Arte03

The perfection of nature, from the gorgeous purple flowers in the front, over dense forest through, all the way to the endless mountain range disappearing in the clouds and mist, is harmoniously blended with the burning pink and orange skies. Such an idyllic setting is disturbed with a simple, handwritten text "THE LAST PERFECT DAY.." which is sagging as it ends, constructing Kunath's irresistible melancholy and ironya. Inviting to fully enjoy any given moment aware of the uncertainty of absolutely everything else, this particular image poetically celebrates the life's ups while warning about the inevitable downs.

Each example from the edition of 60 examples measuring 91 x 67cm has been hand-finished by the artist with text and additional imagery. The prints are also signed on the verso and come float framed inside bespoke white MDF wood mounting.  —Sasha Bogojev

Photo credits: Justin Chung