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I like to use contrasts in my work: circles vie with squares and rectangles; smooth surfaces with structured areas; lines with blocks of colour. I paint, paste, scrape .... develop, destroy and reconstruct. The paints as materials in themselves are my motivation and impetus. Generally I tread a line between the abstract and the representational, sometimes crossing over to one side or the other. When I begin a painting I generally have a specific concept. The painting process itself, however, often leads to changes or I discard my concept in favour of a new approach, which I then pursue. There are often many layers; sometimes entire pictures disappear under whatever later wants to take shape on them. The process of change is thus an important element of my work and I often consciously leave it visible since it expresses the past, the present and maybe even a little bit of the future. The main focus of my works on paper is quick, spontaneous play. The elements are smaller and surrounded by a lot of space on the white of the paper. Some of these (ink) drawings develop into templates for wood- or linocuts, which I generally use for one-off prints. Over the years I have developed a liking for circular shapes. A decisive factor in this was my discovery of the shape’s diversity when depicting totally disparate themes. By experimenting with, distorting, modifying and putting into a context with other pictorial elements what can, at first glance, be viewed as a purely geometric-abstract form the circle has increasingly developed into a multi-functional structure which I like to use. It almost always appears in my work in some form – even it is just as a “supporting actor”. When it comes to content my pictures sometimes take on a life of their own, with colour and form compositions created for their own sake; sometimes an object from our everyday lives thrusts itself into the foreground. Politics and society, but also seemingly banal situations around me, influence and challenge me. In the case of my picture "Topf" (“Saucepan”) for example, both the process of change mentioned above is visible as well as one of the topics which moves me. The saucepan in this context represents nourishment as well as our basic requirement for food, the gratification of which is, for many people, a continuous challenge against the background of economic change. Pictures such as “Rolle rückwärts” (“Backward Roll”) or “Das Pfeifen im Dunkeln” (“Whistling in the Dark”), to name but just two, can also be viewed as a kind of mirror of the times. “Rolle rückwärts” refers to the necessity of reconsidering overenthusiasm concerning the ecology/economy, and thus also socially. “Das Pfeifen im Dunkeln” originated in a temporal context (Winter 2008/ 2009), as news about the financial crisis and the deal-making concerning access to energy supplies was coming thick and fast. The circles in this picture can definitely be interpreted as “whistling”, which, in content terms, effectively juxtaposes its weightiness with laughter. – I would, however, most certainly like my pictures to be understood as being about more than just current news items, since feelings of insecurity or the corresponding reflection on such feelings are universal human issues, common to all eras and times. Last but not least, the aesthetic pleasure of form and colour is also important to me. Content of this kind is not at the forefront of my thinking when I begin a new work. On the contrary, it is more the case that it creeps up from behind me during the creative process and I then allow it to enter my work (or not, as the case may be). Sometimes I only recognise the connection of seemingly meaningless forms to more or less conscious themes in retrospect. The titles of my pictures are indicative of my own associations, which originate during the naming process. Others are, however, free to look for, and discover, other meanings in my works. Maria Gust, April 2009 (Translation: Alison Fry) |
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