Musschenbroeksche Nüsse

Nora Olearius’s Jahresgabe for the GAK continues the focus of much of her work, which explores the informative value and relevance of data collection and calculations. The work consists of four blue A5-size notebooks containing neatly handwritten notes. The first lines reveal the subject to be a technological examination of a painting by the artist. The contents include detailed information about the frame, colour layers and painting mediums. The notes mention infrared reflectography, diffraction patterns and neutron flux density. A plethora of data and technical terms is pitted against the absence of the thematic work, which only appears on the last page as a small, hardly decipherable sketch. The personal character of the handwriting contrasts with the factual-analytical content of the notebook, as does the slightly yellowed paper. The work presents a curious document whose unproven assertions raise more questions than answers, much like its enigmatic title.