The Alchemist

The painting The Alchemistis the first of Typlt’s iconic Pinocchio series. The artist painted it in 2004 at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he was studying at the time in the studio of A. R. Penck. Today, the work is among Typlt’s most valuable and sought-after motifs. Although he dedicated himself to the theme of Pinocchio for only a short period of about one year, this series is now considered one of his most famous bodies of work.

The painting is striking primarily for its bold color scheme, based on the contrast between the yellow background and the blue tones of the watering cans and the glass pane on which Pinocchio stands. It is immediately apparent that something in this scene feels out of place. Why is Pinocchio holding three watering cans instead of one? And why is he standing on a glass pane, given that glass feels cold and fragile? The painting can be understood as an existential statement that, balanced on the edge of the grotesque and the absurd, depicts basic human feelings of vulnerability.