UMETNIK O SVOM RADU
Pravim slike metaforičkog karaktera - modele koji zamenjuju mene, kao i ljude sa kojima imam kontakta na pozornici mog života. To zvuči prilično samoživo, i zaista jeste, ali u mom radu ima i elemenata dovoljno univerzalnih da zainteresuju i posmatrače koji nisu direktno uključeni u ovu akciju.
Poput emocija, naslikani subjekti dominiraju prostorom oko njih - oni preplavljuju svoje okruženje kako pozicioniranjem (postavljeni su u centralni deo platna) tako i veličinom (najveći su element u naslikanom prostoru). Dvojna priroda odnosa je često istaknuta putem korišćenja opozita: veliko/malo, sporo/brzo; komplementarnih boja itd. Nekim prilikama su linije i forme teške i čvrste poput nečeg konkretnog i realnog, a drugim su nedefinisane i tek naznačane poput nečeg nestajućeg. Karakteri mogu da deluju uzbuđeni i fantastični, ipak njihova karikaturna predstava na neki način čitavu melodramu čini lakšom da se podnese.
Koristim se jezikom slikarstva (hibridom apstraktnog i figurativnog jezika) koji najefektnije prenosi određena stanja emotivnog bića. Jedan od izazova pri formiranju mog rada jeste upravo da sintetizujem specifične vizuelne jezike - i u tom procesu platno mi ujedno služi kao "prozor" i kao objekt koji beleži sopstevno stvaranje. Jedna od najjačih moći slikarstva je mogućnost da simultano predstavlja različite ideje, akcije i realnosti.
Ja slikam, kako je Robert Raušenberg rekao, "jer je slikarstvo najbolji način koji sam iznašao da budem u miru sa samim sobom". Ja sam emotivac; prihvatanje ove činjenice i njeno predstavljanje u radovima jeste najvažnije dostignuće u mom razvoju kao umetnika. Daljim unapređivanjem slikarskog jezika koji bez greške prenosi moje emotivno stanje (ili stanja) postiže se prodorniji i dublji rad - rezultat koji podvlači sintezu apstraktnog (emocije) i realnog (završene slike).
Christian Rieben
Prevod: Katarina Vasić
I make paintings of metaphoric characters - proxies who stand in for myself and those I engage with in the arena of my life. That sounds pretty self-absorbed, and it is, but there are elements in the work that are universal enough to interest viewers not directly involved in the action.
Like emotions, the painted subjects dominate the space around them – overwhelming their environment through placement (they’re located in the center of the canvas) and scale (they are the largest feature within the painted space). The binary nature of relationships is often emphasized through the use of opposites: big/small, slow/fast, complementary colors, etc. Sometimes lines and forms are heavy and solid like something substantial and real, other times vague and sketchy like something that is barely extant. The characters can appear overwrought or fantastical, but their cartoonesque representation somehow makes the melodrama easier to take.
I employ a language of painting (using a hybrid of abstract and representational languages) that most effectively conveys particular states of emotional being. It is one of the challenges in the construction of my work to synthesize distinct visual languages – in the process having the canvas serve as both a “window” and an object which records its own making. One of Painting’s greatest strengths is its ability to represent different ideas, actions, and realities concurrently.
I paint, as Robert Rauschenberg said, “because painting is the best way I've found to get along with myself”. I am an emotional guy; accepting and addressing this in my work has been the single greatest development in my evolution as an artist. Continuing to develop a painting language which accurately embodies my emotional state(s) will lead to more incisive and profound work - a result which underscores the synthesis of the abstract (emotion) and the real (the finished painting).
Christian Rieben