Arvid Boecker
Arvid Boecker Painting Vernissage February 3, 7:00 PM Exhibition Duration: February 4 – March 12, 2011
From February 4 to March 12, the P13 Gallery will showcase the nationally renowned artist Arvid Boecker in his hometown of Heidelberg. In his abstract paintings, he seeks harmony, focusing entirely on the expression of color in various configurations. He places earthy tones from his palette—ranging from red to orange, yellow, green, and occasionally blue—side by side in vertical stripes of equal distance, allowing them to interact in harmony or contrast. Sometimes, individual sequences of colors repeat rhythmically like the theme of a musical piece, while at other times, the hue experiences a crescendo in the horizontal flow of the image, resonating and then fading away.
The artist draws inspiration from the landscapes he has explored during his working stays in Iceland, Scotland, and France. The colors and combinations he observes in nature are translated by Arvid Boecker into oil paint, applied in stripes reminiscent of cultivated land, onto the traditional medium of canvas, capturing various moods. The paintings, all created under the same foundational conditions, can evoke entirely different effects solely through the varied combinations of colors. By choosing traditional painting materials and a conventional substrate, the focus remains solely on the aesthetics of the work, eliminating questions about the choice and impact of an extraordinary technique.
As viewers approach the works, they become aware of the process behind the creation. The artist experimentally explores the material, with his interest lying not only in the color itself but also in the material and tactile qualities of the paint. Using a glazing technique, he applies layer upon layer, achieving a special depth and brilliance in the color medium. He juxtaposes these glazed areas directly next to thickly applied, impasto sections, some of which he enhances further through scratching. Like the natural landscapes, Arvid Boecker's cultivated landscapes have grown organically. The process of creation spans weeks and months. Without a precisely defined vision of the final result, the painter layers colors, setting a piece aside for a time only to revisit and refine it later. Like an archaeologist, he delves into the layers of paint, occasionally revealing a previous state while always sensing when a piece is complete. Through the visible aspects of the creative process and the growth of the images, Arvid Boecker's works acquire a dynamic life of their own, which viewers can experience. They invite the observer to descend into the depths of the painting and engage in a process of exploration through careful observation.