Ralph Gelbert

Wer Gelberts Bilder betrachtet, dem teilen sich die vulkanischen Energien mit, die sich in ihnen manifestiert haben, die Lust an satten, ja bisweilen grellen Farben, die dahinströmen, verfließen, Wolken bilden, Wirbel und Schlieren. In seinen Werken tun sich phantastische Räume auf, Kunstwelten, die weder Darstellungen existierender Orte sind noch Innenräume des Subjekts. Was jedoch so rauschhaft erscheinen mag, verdankt sich durchaus nicht nur dem spontanen Impuls, sondern ebenso Kalkül und Disziplin. (Auszug aus der Einführung von Professor Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa, Honorarkonsul der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) Ralph Gelbert specializes in large-format oil paintings that have their roots in the Informalist tradition. At the same time, however, they also express entirely new artistic styles and techniques. The colour compositions clearly articulate an artistic desire that seeks to highlight the importance of the creative act, both as active and reactive process, while also emphasizing the formal procedures involved in the artistic act. The high-quality monograph catalogue is beautifully illustrated in colour with examples of Gelbert’s work from the last two years, images which reveal the painter’s use of colour as an artistic medium possessed of its own intrinsic value and endowed with richly associative potential. The paintings and works on paper, though not abstract, are also non-representational. Through their specific titles, referring to real locations and landscapes, the works are contextualized within the spaces that inspired their genesis. The illustrations of the works are accompanied by photographs of Gelbert’s travels and study trips. Together they provide a visual impression of Gelbert’s work that is complemented beautifully by the accompanying texts.