Helmut Federle: Basics on composition聽1992 & 2019
When Helmut Federle created his work 鈥淟iegendes H (1)鈥� (Reclining H) in 1979, he developed a composition that he would later vary in his series 鈥淏asics on Composition鈥�, most of which was made in 1992. 40 years after painting the first picture, he decided to revisit it again in 2019. The first work, which he painted during his time in New York and whose form is based on the first letter of his first name, has become a kind of iconic feature of his artistic practice that apparently refuses to loosen its grip on him. We used Federle鈥檚 resumption of the series this year as an occasion to organize this exhibition. The current "Basics on Composition" mark the beginning of a new phase of painting after a hiatus of five years.
In his 鈥淏asics on Composition鈥�, Federle returns to the tradition of geometric abstraction, but renews and expands it as a field of tension in which to research the relationship between figure and ground, order and chaos, movement and calmness. The bars of the 鈥淟iegende H (1)鈥� and the two squares formed by the open ends on the left and right are transformed into individualized, geometric planes of equal value that continually reverse the traditional relationship between figure and ground, while rejecting balance and closure. 鈥淔ederle has destabilized the square, its solid form, and turned it into something that no longer represents authority. His squares are defined by their relationship to the space around them. His compositions are decidedly non-hierarchical鈥� (John Yau, 1993).
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When Helmut Federle created his work 鈥淟iegendes H (1)鈥� (Reclining H) in 1979, he developed a composition that he would later vary in his series 鈥淏asics on Composition鈥�, most of which was made in 1992. 40 years after painting the first picture, he decided to revisit it again in 2019. The first work, which he painted during his time in New York and whose form is based on the first letter of his first name, has become a kind of iconic feature of his artistic practice that apparently refuses to loosen its grip on him. We used Federle鈥檚 resumption of the series this year as an occasion to organize this exhibition. The current "Basics on Composition" mark the beginning of a new phase of painting after a hiatus of five years.
In his 鈥淏asics on Composition鈥�, Federle returns to the tradition of geometric abstraction, but renews and expands it as a field of tension in which to research the relationship between figure and ground, order and chaos, movement and calmness. The bars of the 鈥淟iegende H (1)鈥� and the two squares formed by the open ends on the left and right are transformed into individualized, geometric planes of equal value that continually reverse the traditional relationship between figure and ground, while rejecting balance and closure. 鈥淔ederle has destabilized the square, its solid form, and turned it into something that no longer represents authority. His squares are defined by their relationship to the space around them. His compositions are decidedly non-hierarchical鈥� (John Yau, 1993).
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