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Heidi Hahn — Thoughts That Break the Soul #3
Heidi Hahn

Thoughts That Break the Soul #3

2023

Thoughts That Break the Soul #3 presents a large-scale figurative composition in oil on linen, rendered with Heidi Hahn's characteristic blend of psychological intimacy and chromatic restraint. Measuring nearly six feet on each side, the work commands presence through scale alone, while Hahn's layered handling of paint introduces a quality of unresolved tension that feels both meditative and quietly unsettling. The figure, as is typical in her practice, exists in a liminal state, neither fully emergent nor fully dissolved into the surrounding pictorial field, inviting sustained looking rather than immediate resolution. Hahn, who studied at the California College of the Arts and has built a significant exhibition history across the United States and Europe, has become recognized for her ability to render interiority through painterly means rather than narrative exposition. The Thoughts That Break the Soul series, of which this is the third iteration, reflects her continued engagement with themes of emotional labor, selfhood, and the porous boundary between the inner life and outward appearance. The palette across the series tends toward muted, skin-adjacent tones punctuated by more insistent passages of color, and this work is no exception, using that tension to suggest states that resist easy articulation. Signed by the artist and offered through Michael Kohn Gallery, Thoughts That Break the Soul #3 represents a strong opportunity to acquire a substantial work from a pivotal moment in Hahn's development. The unframed linen support lends itself to a range of presentation approaches, and the work's generous dimensions ensure it functions as an anchor in any serious collection of contemporary figurative painting.

Medium
Oil on linen
Overall
Signed
Yes
Location
Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

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About this work

Heidi Hahn, Thoughts That Break the Soul #3, 2023

Thoughts That Break the Soul #3 presents a large-scale figurative composition in oil on linen, rendered with Heidi Hahn's characteristic blend of psychological intimacy and chromatic restraint. Measuring nearly six feet on each side, the work commands presence through scale alone, while Hahn's layered handling of paint introduces a quality of unresolved tension that feels both meditative and quietly unsettling. The figure, as is typical in her practice, exists in a liminal state, neither fully emergent nor fully dissolved into the surrounding pictorial field, inviting sustained looking rather than immediate resolution. Hahn, who studied at the California College of the Arts and has built a significant exhibition history across the United States and Europe, has become recognized for her ability to render interiority through painterly means rather than narrative exposition. The Thoughts That Break the Soul series, of which this is the third iteration, reflects her continued engagement with themes of emotional labor, selfhood, and the porous boundary between the inner life and outward appearance. The palette across the series tends toward muted, skin-adjacent tones punctuated by more insistent passages of color, and this work is no exception, using that tension to suggest states that resist easy articulation. Signed by the artist and offered through Michael Kohn Gallery, Thoughts That Break the Soul #3 represents a strong opportunity to acquire a substantial work from a pivotal moment in Hahn's development. The unframed linen support lends itself to a range of presentation approaches, and the work's generous dimensions ensure it functions as an anchor in any serious collection of contemporary figurative painting.

Medium
Oil on linen
Dimensions
overall: 177.8 x 165.1 cm
Year
2023
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

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Collected by

Gavin Kennedy