Stefan Sehler is a painter. However, to truly appreciate this statement, the viewer first needs to take a very careful look; the large format pictures confuse the eye with their cool appearance and smooth surfaces. One is reminded of the familiar look of a composed photograph. This impression is not exclusively due to the reflective surface of the medium. The interplay between abstraction and objectivity, as well as between the regularity of the background and the sharp contours of the images, is also responsible. With even structure, stylised plants and ornate branches stretch over the monochrome backdrop. It is in the detail that the painter’s style is first revealed: painted on the back side of glass, the colours of the images are applied in various coats.

The regularity of the background defines the first step taken. Next the artist sketches the outlines of blossom and branch, filling the spaces between with various layers of paint. As a result, the streaks of colours piled on top of each other produce an abstract structure of great intensity. However, as the artist is working on the back side of the glass, pastiness is avoided in spite of the many layers of colour. All traces of brush strokes are also missing. What the viewer sees is a spread of colour of consistent thickness which, as mentioned at the beginning, gives the impression of a photographic composition with a homogeneous surface. Because Stefan Sehler dribbles, sprays and shakes the colours onto the surface, the artistic process can only be partially controlled. The result is stunning, especially as his pictures appear to be very calculated imitations of nature.

Exhibition 2005

Exhibition 2008