Karin Kneffel has been occupied with the classic genre of the fruit still life since the mid-1990s, portraying her fruits, first and foremost grapes, but also apples, peaches and plums, in multiple variations and always in an extreme close-up view and an immaculate, hyper-realistic perfection. Karin Kneffel’s painterly approach is often described as "realistic": Her landscape views, animal paintings, and fruit still lifes captivate not only for their color splendor, but also for the impression of a perfected illusionism that suggests a masterly craftsmanship. Any traces of the creative process have been erased from the painting’s perfectly even surface; we can’t find any traces of brushwork or spots of an impasto application of the paint. At first sight, her pictorial compositions appear familiar; as she uses traditional painting techniques to create her works from seemingly classic genres. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that the world she shows us is more than it might seem to be. Kneffel's paintings often heighten the deceptive illusion into hyper-realistic realms, making what seems natural at a first glance appear highly artificial. She achieves an alienation that makes us question the beautiful sight. The restriction of the depiction to a small section of the picture and the supernaturally large representation of the subject leads to a subtle reinterpretation of subject rendered with an impressive photorealistic precision. The panicle of the bright grapes is a perfect motif to study the play of light and shadow and the effect of indirect light. The grapes are staged opaque and luminous and fill the work’s entire format. The are plump and juicy on the vine, ready to be picked. The typical soft golden light of a late summer day makes the grapes shine like little gems. They seem absolutely perfect, but exactly this supernatural perfection is confusing. They float almost weightlessly in space in front of an undefined gray background, illuminated by a light source outside the pictorial space. The observer’s eye finds no means to determine proportion. In a classic baroque fruit still life, the lush grape vines are presented in bowls or on tables, an integration of the fruit into a familiar context that allows for some sort of scale. And it is precisely this supernatural beauty, reminiscent of advertising motifs, that always leaves an invisible, insurmountable barrier between the work and the viewer in Kneffel's fruit paintings. "Verführung und Distanz” (Seduction and Distance) was the apt title of Kneffel's 2006 exhibition. Karin Kneffel said: "I try to keep the viewers at a distance, to direct their gaze, while also setting traps. I don't want them to immerse in my paintings, I want them to engage with them." [SM]