Shades of Green

The Lia Rumma Gallery in Naples is pleased to announce the opening of Shades of Green, the second personal exhibition of the work of the German artist Hendrik Krawen (Lübeck, 1963). The exhibition includes a series of new works, all of which were made by the artist between 2009 and 2010, with the exception of two works that date to 1995 and 2004. One of the stylistic characteristics of the German artist is his use of monochrome which distinguishes the tone and light of his works, acting as the background or the filter for the scenes that are portrayed. The title Shades of Green refers to the shades of the colour used in his new series of large paintings presented in the main gallery space and stems from his new reflection on the modern ‘landscape’.  The paintings portray minimal landscapes which are flattened on the horizon: a long strip of beach (On economy planet, 2010), the details of large merchant ships which plough the waves of a sea whose presence we can only imagine, the details of buildings with huge advertising hoardings towering over them (Sonne scheint, 2009). Here it is the sky that occupies most of the space of the painting, portrayed as the large uniform expanse of green that forms the background. This colour embodied the dense oily texture of the atmosphere in which we move today, an atmosphere that is getting warmer every day, while the levels of oxygen are gradually falling. Krawen is a keen observer of progress and globalisation. He considers the central role of mankind and the way in which human action is transformed in fairly tangible ways that have a visible effect on the surrounding landscape. In his latest work, these signs have become increasingly abstract and imaginary (Move, 2010 or Fly me to the moon, 2010). At the same time, the artist continues to conduct his personal research into a painting which is based on a figurative approach. This is a distinctive feature of the larger compositions such as the landscapes but also the urban and architectural details (Smoked stucco/Vb.Version, 2010; Dunkle Bild, 2010), although in his most recent works his painting is veering towards a non-figurative vision (Sigherslouis and Rainforest, 2010).