Raimund Girke Daniel Buren and Raimund Girke in Dialogue

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Raimund Girke – Der Maler des Weiß from 28.8.2020

Raimund Girke (1930—2002) is a great painter who is often called the Painter of White. His pictures are pure paintings. Oil paint was his preferred material, which he applied to the front of the canvas with sweeping brushstrokes in an always recognizable style—like his handwriting. Through large gestures and brushstroke movements, he was able to create space and depth without showing any object. If you look closely at each of his pictures, you can see the different layers of paint that imply a wide range of colors. The processing of a picture by Girke often took several years, during which the work repeatedly went through changes due to the addition of further layers of paint. The dynamics of the brushstroke movement on the one hand and the superimposition of numerous layers of paint on the other create the unusual three-dimensionality that is characteristic of Girke's canvases.

In the new exhibition Color and Form in Dialogue, which has been on view at the Cadoro—Center for Art and Science in Mainz—since the turn of the year, Raimund Girke—the Painter of White—meets Daniel Buren—the French Master of Minimal Art. In the two halves of the showroom on the ground floor of the Cadoro, the works of the two masters face each other. The works in their diversity illustrate the multifaceted nature of (abstract) art rather than forming a contrast. Rather, the works complement each other, focusing on color on the one hand and form on the other.

Works

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Publications about Raimund Girke