True Story

We all know the story of the Town Musicians of Bremen — the donkey, the dog, the cat, and the rooster, tired of being rejected, setting off to find a new life, forming an unusual band. But what if… that wasn’t the only story?

What if there was another group? One that didn’t make it into the old books, but was just as real. Maybe even more magical.

That’s the idea that crossed my mind while I was working on this piece. What if the band looked different? What if, instead of the traditional characters, the musicians were a calm elephant, a thoughtful zebra, a self-important cat (of course), and a peacock that clearly knows how to steal the show?

This painting started as a simple idea: to imagine a different version of the fairy tale. It became a little exercise for myself — a way to question how easily we stick to familiar patterns and how hard it sometimes is to let new ones form. Why a donkey and not an elephant? Why a rooster and not a peacock?

In this version, the animals still leave something behind — a life that no longer serves them — and head somewhere new. Maybe they find their Bremen in a floating city where towers bend like dreams and the sky blushes in strange colors. Maybe they don’t even need to play music in the usual way — maybe their presence alone creates harmony.

This is not a parody. It’s just… a possibility.
Another version of the story.
Maybe the true one.