Kanon - Denise Richardt

At first glance, the images by Denise Richardt seem to depict familiar landscapes. Scenes of distant mountain ranges rise behind expansive meadows, fields, and forests. Groups of trees obstruct our view, and the darkness between the trunks only hints at what lies hidden in the thicket. However, rough surfaces, unexpected color harmonies, and an expressive brushstroke soon cause these seemingly clear situations to break down into their components.

In the places the artist leads us to, we sense a strangeness that cannot originate from any real landscape.

Thus, the key to the works of the Berlin artist lies less in the subject matter and more in the painting itself. She thoughtfully embraces its fundamental elements to create spatiality and painterly effect with spot, line, and surface. In doing so, she deliberately dissolves forms to the brink of abstraction, juxtaposes sketchy structures against calm areas, and plays with space and perspective.

In Kanon, Denise Richardt presents us with images that straddle abstraction and representation, where color takes center stage. Like a musical theme, it unites the diverse voices of the compositions into a harmonious fundamental melody.

Denise Richardt was born in Berlin in 1972 and studied painting and fine arts at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee until 1998. She then completed her master’s studies under Prof. Dieter Goltzsche. From 2002, she undertook a two-year residency in Rome, Italy.