Sven Kroner’s The air was magic when we played

Sven Kroner’s The air was magic when we played

Galerie Fons Welters

January 12, 2011

Bloemstraat 140
1016 LJ Amsterdam
T (+31)20 423 30 46
F (+31)20 620 84 33
mail [​at​] fonswelters.nl
www.fonswelters.nl

15 January – 19 February 2011

Galerie Fons Welters is proud to present The air was magic when we played, a solo show by German artist Sven Kroner.

Sven Kroner (Kempten, Germany, 1973) is a painter. Today as always, it is quite common for painters to specialise in a particular genre for part of their career—sometimes for a lifetime. From this perspective, Sven Kroner could be classified as a landscape painter. But while such a label may make it easier to discuss his approach to certain genre-specific problems (such as the control of spatiality and unity of colour), it could all too easily obscure the more essential point —that Kroner is not in the business of painting more or less romantic landscapes. One only need take a closer look at his work to see that for all his interest in depicting landscapes—most notably areas that defy human efforts at cultivation—this interest is of secondary importance. In his work, he concerns himself with the fundamental challenges of painting in general. His primary focus is not on rendering landscapes, but on ordering shapes and colours, and on creating an arc of tension in the composition.

The numerous narrative elements, such as the abandoned streets and shacks, illuminated windows and people—or animals—observing the landscape contribute appreciably to the generally mildly melancholy mood of the images. If one is content, as a viewer, to see the effect of isolated motifs on the atmosphere, or to ponder the revelation of the ideas and thoughts that may possibly be inferred from these motifs, one may well overlook the fact that Kroner does not paint because he has something to say, but tells a story because he wants to paint. Kroner‘s images frequently refer to the Allgäu of his youth and his current surroundings, because he knows these landscapes and the motifs they contain so well. But when we study his paintings, it becomes clear that what matters to him is not these allusions as such, but the scope they open up for shaping his paintings. The ordering of shapes and colours, and the tension in the composition, are achieved through representation. Kroner is able to demonstrate the human dimension of certain apparently abstract problems of painting. So it is only in the light of this effort that the true significance of the motifs he depicts becomes clear. None of this is new—it puts us in mind of ‘The Months of the Year’ series by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. But such resonances may actually—although there is no space to go into this here—make it all the more interesting.

—From Sven Kroner, A Painter, by Sander J. Dekker

Sven Kroner studied at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany. Recent exhibitions include ‘I don’t need fancy’ (with Simone Lucas), Villa de Bank, Enschede, The Netherlands; ‘Winterlong’, Gallery Sies + Hoeke, Düsseldorf, Germany; ‘Hidden path’, Yvon Lambert, New York, United States; ‘Like a Hurricane’, Gemeente Museum Helmond, The Netherlands; ‘Witterung’, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Advertisement
RSVP
RSVP for Sven Kroner’s The air was magic when we played
Galerie Fons Welters
January 12, 2011

Thank you for your RSVP.

Galerie Fons Welters will be in touch.

Subscribe

e-flux announcements are emailed press releases for art exhibitions from all over the world.

Agenda delivers news from galleries, art spaces, and publications, while Criticism publishes reviews of exhibitions and books.

Architecture announcements cover current architecture and design projects, symposia, exhibitions, and publications from all over the world.

Film announcements are newsletters about screenings, film festivals, and exhibitions of moving image.

Education announces academic employment opportunities, calls for applications, symposia, publications, exhibitions, and educational programs.

Sign up to receive information about events organized by e-flux at e-flux Screening Room, Bar Laika, or elsewhere.

I have read e-flux’s privacy policy and agree that e-flux may send me announcements to the email address entered above and that my data will be processed for this purpose in accordance with e-flux’s privacy policy*

Thank you for your interest in e-flux. Check your inbox to confirm your subscription.