Nr.4 o.T.. 1970

Dieter Asmus painted this untitled work, in a way that makes me think of a computer print or a silkscreen. A figure crouches on all fours in what might be a room. What was Asmus thinking? The color is like a faded tangerine or a sunset on Mars. It's oddly muted and the repetition of the receding verticals and horizontals in the background create the feeling of a mise-en-scène, like a stage set. The figure is like a shiny plastic doll, but the pose is fraught and mysterious. The figure is looking down, maybe exhausted or ashamed? It reminds me of other painters interested in exploring figuration through seriality such as Warhol. Maybe Asmus was in conversation with the artists who came before him. He embraces ambiguity in his art, and he allows for multiple interpretations.