“Deep Diving”, the new series of curator tours offered on the first Thursday of every month, aims to focus on a selected work of art from the Ludwig Collection.
Under the title “Depth – Emotion – Rhythm. Sean Scully and Pierre Soulages”, the works of Sean Scully enter into a dialogue with Pierre Soulages.
The French artist Pierre Soulages (1919-2022), along with Hans Hartung, was the main representative of the abstract, non-representational direction of French art after 1945. Soulages’ artistic work is considered unique far beyond the borders of France in the radicalism and consistency with which he was dedicated almost exclusively to the color black. This color, which he enhanced into a powerful gesture in his works, is seen by Soulages as a mirror and symbol of light:
“What I wanted to do with my paint was to make the white of the canvas or paper even whiter, even brighter, like snow.” (Pierre Soulages, 1980)
In the late 1940s, Pierre Soulages’ works were permeated with darkness and melancholy; the closeness to the experiences of the war is still clearly noticeable. A few years later he left this behind and in the early 1950s began to explore the picture surface through the color black, but not to sublimate the shadow, but rather to sublimate the light as such. Already the few lines or brush strokes in his work “Peinture, April 14, 1953” reveal that Soulages was always looking for the architecture of the work, which closes around the interior of the picture like an almost hermetic wall, through which only occasionally the background of the picture flashes. Pierre Soulages’ art is characterized by the desire to create autonomous works that represent nothing but only stand for themselves. In his search for a non-figurative design, he developed a very intuitive oeuvre, the deeper meaning of which is largely revealed in the act of looking.
The act of viewing is also of essential importance in the reception of the work of Sean Scully (born 1945 in Dublin, Ireland). In the newly opened exhibition “Géographies”, Sean Scully addresses travels and stages in life, places and experiences that have inspired and deeply influenced him.
“I am convinced that abstraction should and should embody deep emotions. I believe that is their role in art history.” (Sean Scully)
Over the past six decades, Sean Scully has been connected with the most diverse geographical locations, be it his many years of living in London, New York, Barcelona, Mooseurach, Berlin
or Aix-en-Provence. In addition, he is constantly inspired by international exhibition projects and trips – such as to Morocco, Mexico and the island of Eleuthera. His restless attitude, always
keen to remain on the move, has left deep traces in his artistic work. Last but not least, it rectreates his individual geographies. Many of his abstract compositions reflect his perception of urban
space, the dynamic rhythm of the big city or the liberating calm of nature. Over the last nine years, Sean Scully has returned to figuration and formed a very personal credo that goes beyond
the individual to something more universal.
