Under the title 09/19, Christoph Schirmer presents newly created paintings whose formal language is more reduced, but whose colours are significantly stronger than in previous years.
The display specially designed for the exhibition allows him to play through various forms of presentation - canvases are shown on tilted partitions and in a display case as well as on the classic white wall.
The object of Christoph Schirmer's investigation is painting; he conducts research - painting by painting - in which he explores the contemporary possibilities of this established, long-established medium. His paintings are built up in layers, through which one can literally follow the process of creation of the individual works. The overlapping of surfaces, the intersecting lines or even frayed edges tell us about their temporal succession. A conflict can be observed between seemingly randomly spreading surfaces, which are contained by lines, overlaid again by surfaces and lines, until an arrangement has emerged as the final result, which Christoph Schirmer shows as the result of his research.
The influence of digital image processing programmes is clearly noticeable in Schirmer's work: digital tools used for image manipulation (contrast and saturation control, layer transparency, masking or blurring are just a few examples) find their way into Schirmer's image programme. His material is reduced to a few means. Unprimed canvas, thin (coloured) paper, varnish and sometimes pigment are sufficient for him to develop his pictures directly on the canvas, without sketches or digital preliminary studies.
The result is exciting abstract works that take the viewer into painterly depths.
Related artist
-
Christoph Schirmer