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ShareGerman painter Matthias Mansen seems calm and quiet, but when he speaks, you know there's lot to discover -- much like his paintings. At first glance, hisexhibition titled Woodcuts, seems to be a compilation of abstract prints blurring into each other. But as you zoom out, the figures and objects appear -- daring you to coax them a bit more, so that they can reveal themselves completely. "I want my audience to let my paintings evolve," he says, as he walks amid his creations, that focus onnature so much that he could be walking in a garden.
The charm of his prints also lies in the unique method he uses. For Mansen, woodcut -- a process where an image is first carved into a wooden plank and then printed on to paper -- is the ideal way to express himself. He says that with woodcut, he found a medium which "doesn'tallow everything, has a strong character, forcing you to work in very clearly defined structures and lines."
"Painting on paper wasn't challenging enough. I feel the artistic process is reflected in a much better manner for me in woodcut." Mansen does not need a print shop or a printing press.
All he needs is wood, paint, and paper and the wood for his printing blocks comes from found objects;it can be wood found onthe street, floorboards or planks. The highlight of his exhibition is his series on Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. Bagheera, Sher Khan and Ballu come alive in a strange melancholy way.
"I first came to India 14 years ago. We went all around the north and I was enchanted with the ornate Rajasthani hotels. When I returned to Germany, I read Kipling all over again. I then knew I had to do something with the Jungle Book one day," he says. Along with Mowgli and his friends, there is the spring and the summer, the sea and all its moods, and oak trees that look on invitingly.
The oak tree series isenchanting to say the least. Divided into four canvases, the scene is reminiscent of walking in the woods. It starts with a small lane winding through imposing oak trees, going into a closer look, and closer, till you are peeking into the bark of a tree -- a fairytale land for sure. Most of the series are based on Mansen's ownexperiences with nature.
Be it sailing or just taking a walk through a park -- the artist never misses a thing, taking in the ambience completely. No wonder hisexhibit speaks volumes.
Is there a commonmessage? "No, I don't care about messages," he says, "All I try and do is make mental maps for people --something that will stick in their heads."
Woodcuts, Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, tillMay 31
