Farbwanne 1985

Curator: What a peculiar thing! It's Gotthard Graubner's *Farbwanne*, made in 1985. Materially speaking, it’s oil paint applied in a matter-painting technique. Quite curious. Editor: Yes! My initial reaction? A stagnant pool reflecting a hazy twilight sky. It’s somber, almost melancholic. A tangible dream. Curator: Graubner, as a key figure in abstract expressionism, uses process itself as content. Note the texture—thick, almost sculptural. Semiotically, it signals not only German Expressionism but a very performative relationship with paint. Editor: You are right! Like staring into some forgotten corner of an artist's studio, perhaps? It's like an echo of an artistic gesture, frozen in time. It feels accidental, raw. I bet the "mistakes" were left in. Curator: The very term Farbwanne indicates the residue, the receptacle of creative actions. It’s a deconstruction of the painting. Here we see what the artwork sheds and leaves behind, presented front and center. Editor: And this single, almost monochromatic expanse evokes depth while simultaneously flattening the plane, no? Almost Zen, with its muted tones and textured surface. A perfect meditation object, to think about how meaning itself emerges, or, better, coalesces. Curator: Precisely. The artwork provokes us into questioning the boundaries between accident and intent. The formal elements almost self-generate content! A radical notion, in its day. Editor: I find it comforting, in a weird way. It embodies the beauty of decay, of letting go. A soft farewell from a turbulent journey! Curator: Farewell, perhaps. And a provocative exploration of materiality and concept.