"A Dedication To The Victims Of Coronavirus `20"
Acrylic On Canvas
200 x 260 cm / 2020
price on request
The painting "organism humanity" was created in an elaborate painting process lasting two months (February-March 2020). The format is 2600 x 2000mm. The frame was made by the artist himself. The painting ground consists of linen (canvas) and was primed in three layers in white. It was painted with acrylic and wax pastels.
Technique & style elements
The depicted figures were created from a multitude of layers of paint. First the basic frames were painted with very strongly diluted and light colour (pink) (1 layer). In the second layer first muscle fibres and rough contours were drawn with coarse brush strokes and red wax pastel colour. Then the paint for the background was created, which was also applied very watery and not covering. The bones were sketched but later very often changed, erased or renewed. The fifth, sixth and seventh vision were necessary for the design of the skin. Three superimposed shades of colour (English red, brown and pink) were brushed in various variations one after the other in this order. The light white film that is created gives the painting a radiant and at the same time ghostly expression next to the very dark background (mixture: anthracite, English red, indigo blue). Only with borders in English red and with faces, the use of the white film was partly renounced to show a stronger expression.
Plastic elements: faces, breasts (man & woman), skull, foot, hands
2D elements: body, bones
Plastic (3D elements) were deliberately combined with 2D elements to illustrate how reality and fiction can be mixed. In addition, the bright conch surfaces show cleanliness, clarity and a balance that could not have been achieved with shading.
Idea, background & meaning
The painting is the largest format that the artist has ever created up to this point. From the beginning it was clear that man in his natural garb should play the protagonist. From previous works came the idea to try out an increase of cooking combinations and fusions of body parts. For about a week, a lot of thought was given to positions, colours and the general composition. The rectangular format and size were soon clear. During this brainstorming phase, the artist became more aware of the pandemic problems in China (end of January 2020). At that time the situation was still unproblematic for Europe. The virus inspired the artist to depict the human being as a unified organism. If one person is infected, all others can become infected as well. This connection was represented with merging bodies and bones. Ten heads can be seen. Five of them are skeletons and five are normal, respectively without skin and only with muscles. The composition shows which figure in this picture is infected. Some remain healthy (normal faces), some already carry the virus (faces without skin) and others die (skulls). A definition of skin colour was deliberately omitted, as no distinction of origin can be determined. It can be imagined in such a way that the uppermost layer of skin has been removed from the figures and only the uppermost muscle layer is visible. Everyone is equal. I find the special Corona situation very surreal and also spooky. This feeling of reality and fiction is just now emphasized with the 3D and 2D elements.