Alex Katz

(born in Brooklyn/New York in 1927)
Yellow Barn, 2009, signed Katz, oil on board, 23 x 30.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Galerie Burkhard Eikelmann, Düsseldorf
Private Collection, Rhineland

Literature:
Galerie Burkhard Eikelmann, Düsseldorf, Alex Katz on Elephant’s Breath - Paintings, Drawings and Cutouts, exhib. cat. May - June 2012, col. ill. p. 39

“The world is as it seems... Depth hides itself. Where? On the surface.”
Alex Katz

The American Pop artist Alex Katz regards himself as a tool, as the executing force of his works painted directly from nature. In his works, the artist wants to record a brief moment of light, a movement in the landscape, the reflections on water, and captures them on the surface. He shows the “now” and captures light. His eye never tires in its search for a particular moment which it perceives, and passes on to the artist’s arm, to the hand painting the image, and which ultimately ends up in the movement of the paintbrush. The brushstroke is relaxed and has a light touch, exercising its effect as soon as it has been painted. His work remains comprehensible for the viewer. By giving up unnecessary details, Alex Katz reduces the theme to the essential elements, using just a few brushstrokes. This series of works was started as early as the 1950s, and is distinguished by small gestures that can get by without a lot of interpretation. The overall impression of the work counts: its effect unfolds itself both in direct proximity and from a greater distance.