Impasto- Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernst-Ludwig-Kirchner described his art as an “ immediate, powerful inner conflict into visual terms”. Unsurprisingly his influences included Drurer, Van Gough, Munch and artists of the Fauve movement. Angular, sweeping brush strokes in Swiss landscapes (1930’s) and the Berlin street series are iconic to his style. The street series really attracts me: colours are bold and his brush technique add so much to the post WW1 energy and captures the mood of the city. His subjects tend to be outlined in dark ( often black) bold sweeping lines. Inside this the deliberately obvious diagonal brush marks bring movement and along with the bending street views and elongated figures suggest a sort of malevolence as prostitutes mingle with passing smartly dressed men.
An exhibition at New York’s Neue Galerie ( January 2020) includes a quote from the artist about his work across a variety of media including textile collaborations, pastels , wood cuts and oils as “a tightly woven, organic fabric, in which process and completion go hand in hand and one aspect drives the other on.” ( unfortunately original source of quote unknown) For me this sums up his approach to creativity: no matter what support or material he uses all that he learns by working through the piece adds to his understanding of the subject he is trying to portray. Perhaps he is using his learned wood block skills as he carves expression out of oil paint squeezed directly onto the canvas and worked possibly with a variety of tools he sculpts his emotional message .From the freshly squeezed daubed strokes of skin tones in ‘Two nudes’ to the urgent agonised sweeps of them street’; each are a true hands on processes – each are experimental and tactile and each are expression of his take on life rather than fine art reproductions of a classical subject.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
I been unable to locate the original source for a Kirchner quote mentioned in several review articles for an exhibition in New York .
- Dry brush- Lucien Freud- layers to create depth.
- Henry Moore’s sheep drawings- for the essence of the characteristics of the subject.
- John Marine- use of cold colours to evoke mood in a landscape-https://www.redraggallery.co.uk/showInventory.asp?iId=12151&title=Valldemossa&artist=John%20MARTIN. Martin has found a way to turn colour mood theory on it’s head. Instead of the meloncoly of Picasso in his wonderful blue period; this contemporary artist uses his technical knowledge to bring out the fresh and calming side of blue. While he does not appear to use as many clever tones, by placing it along side complimentary shades like terracotta the blues of his Mediterranean skies pop. It is interesting to note that white alongside a powder blue makes light on a tablecloth or building wall look equally radiant – again showing an experienced use of colour theory. I find this use of colours quite breathtaking ( even though this is a little ironic as blue is thought to lower BP and make breathing deeper
Gerhart Richter- Look at his ‘Atlas’ works so you can see the considerations of marks on semi-abstracted subjects.
- Michael Raedecker- use of subtle colours which are atmospheric.
- https://issuu.com/grimm_amsterdam/docs/mr_doc_issuu/22?ff – much of the commentary on Raedecker’s work acknowledges the strong atmospheric gloom in his works. He uses subtle tonal changes mainly hues of grey and a slightly washed out blue with strong black and green/ grey outlines. This contrast and strong markmaking hi lights his simple forms beautifully and somehow awakens all of the viewer’s senses to the gloom and smoky ashen world of his works. However, I also love how he uses the texture and contrast of white , pink and yellow embroidery on top to make the images pop.
- Peter Doig- working with atmospheres and landscapes. Doig has worked all round the world and spent much time in the gloom and snow and dark of American forests and the bright colourful world Trinidadian . He uses these influences in the environment around him to produce an abstracted landscape- sometimes impressionistic dots and sometimes a tangle of lines and circles in transparent layers over scenery. For a long time this has evoked a sense of mystery and deeper meaning in the work- as if the viewer is there in a snow storm or voierism peering through trees at the back of someone’s home- there is both a peak in interest and a feeling of something sinister to come!
- Charlotte Verity- working with textures and expressive marks on natural subjects- a wealth of delicate flowing marks that feel like thin and delicate stems and petals.
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