Rudolf Goessl - Transformations
Until May 12th, 2013 a retrospective of the artist Rudolf Goessl is presented at ZEITKUNST Niederösterreich in the Lower Austria Contemporary gallery St. Pölten, covering several decades of his work. CastYourArt has visited Rudolf Goessl in his studio and produced an artist’s portrait about him.
Rudolf Goessl, born in 1929 was one of the first Austrian artists to devote himself to monochrome painting. A brief stay in New York, where the works of Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and others caught his attention inspired him to strike a new path painting abstract fields of colour.
Concentrating on experiments with layers of colour and the resulting spatial depth, his colour gamut evolved, and eventually the colouring became more complex. His occasionally dark, impressive works convey a sense of metaphysical profoundness.
The colour’s depth and changing light effects leave a contemplative impression on the observer; the artist does in fact meditate on questions of existence in his abstract paintings.
The painter configures the effects and his colours in an increasingly gradational procedure, not allowing the viewers perception to repose. This effect is increased by Trompe l’Oeil-framings of the image as well as by adding sand and sawdust to the paint, further strengthening the impression of shadows cast within the picture.
In the most recent stages of his creativity, the painter plays on the preceding developments and the acquired technical sophistication. Owed to his age and experience, a new liberty emerges in his recent works, creating new spaces in his own oeuvre. (written by Wolfgang Haas | translated by Cem Angeli)