“The End of the World”, opening show at recently renovated Centro per l’arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, Tuscany, Italy.
Kerstin Brätsch. Unstable Talismanic Rendering (Poli’ahu’s Cure) with gratitude to master marbler Dirk Lange (detaglio)“ 1913/2011.
Ink and solvent on paper, neon 275.3 x 182.9 cm.
Primrose Paper Arts members, Robert Ives and Michele Day, recently returned from a six week trip to Italy. Whilst staying in Florence they visited the recently renovated Centro per l’arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, Tuscany, Italy. The opening show “The End of the World” featured work from over 70 international artists including this outstanding piece by German visual artist Kerstin Brätsch.
This stunning work on paper is large and dramatic and one of several works Brätsch has produced using a marbling technique.
Brätsch always questions “the wall” on which the work will be hung to determine how best to enhance her artistic statement. In this case lighting was used. The effect when lit by neon on both sides presents a transfixing spectrum of micro and macro perspectives.
In her marbling process, paint is poured into a glue bath where it is swirled and worked over the surface. A sheet of paper is laid into the bath and the paint adheres to the paper. This process produces one sheet of marbleised paper – each image is unique. This requires a great deal of talent, especially when working with large paper. Brätsch acquired these skills under the tutelage of German marbling master, Dirk Lange. The final work emerges without a clearly defined top or bottom. The colours rest on the paper like a thin film and do not create the depth normally inherent in paint.
Article, photography & review: Robert Ives & Michele Day.
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