2022-23

selection

Excerpts of my accompanying writing:

„In my current growing body of paintings I’m exploring the spectrum of natural colors. The project was ignited by my particular interest and long ongoing investment in Renaissance painting: over the course of the last few years, I’ve been looking into these “pre-digital age” and natural colors more specifically. Their soothing effect and alignment with nature’s color spectrum fascinates me immensely.

Immersing myself in this highly evolved color sensibility has become a journey of insights and revelations. In my current body of work, my method of layering paint in a particular order is inspired by both the traditional technique of renaissance painting and the emergence of color phenomena in nature. For instance: Renaissance painters used multiple underlayers of paint in a particular order to create (the impression of) darkness. They also used green earth as underpaint to generate the vibrancy of the flesh tone. I follow a number of these old recipes that have been handed down, and I’m also trying to find those that have not been conveyed. For that, I draw mostly from nature. For example, in order to really shine, a sky blue (or any atmospheric brightness) needs darkness (one or multiple darker tones) underneath that represents the universe. Green top layers unfold their color best when layered onto soil tones. These processes take a long time, and the right color evolves through numerous layering tests alongside the stretched canvas.“

„I believe that we are living in a time of an increased yearning for places that offer a minimum of stimulation only, and that being in such a place allows us to truly connect with and be in the present moment. That said, my paintings introduce, in a sense, a utopia of sorts, if you will, while also being deeply grounded in human history and nature.“

I’ve been thinking about the depiction of wind dynamics recently. In greek mythology Aura is a small wind or breeze. She is depicted in Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus“ in the upper left corner held by Zephyros (the ancient god of the west wind.) In the painting the two are blowing Venus to the shore, meaning to life.

I was looking at Botticelli’s Venus painting again and discovered that this new painting contains something of this breeze moment – a kind of Aura atmosphere …