GÜNTER WALTER "Parallel lines"

 

Lines and colours are the components in the works of GÜNTER WALTER, concrete artist, who developes an individual vocabulary. Parallel lines of pencil and crayon create surfaces of varying dense structure whereby the line does not primarily delimit the shape from the underground but acts as an autonomous instrument of creation. These lines which are often drawn in nearest juxtaposition, some interleaved and mainly horizontally provide the image space with a texture and a certain rhythm which appears varied in several works as the artist works serially. GÜNTER WALTER shows in his exhibition "Parallel lines" in the Museum of Perception drawings of four series of pencil and crayon.

 

Variations in structure and rhythm also appear in pencil works with crossing lines which evoke the idea of a detail out of a larger entirety despite a defined number of squares within a drawing. These works require usually detailed watching to find out the arranged structure, in comparison to the system in the drawings of horizontal lines which can be captured easily, following the principles long - short, complete - split, symmetrical - asymmetrical, clustered - diverged, right - left as well as top - bottom.

 

GÜNTER WALTER reduced his repertoire of shapes, from early hatching to represent shapes of different quality of colour to the singular line. He now uses pure, unmixed colours which interact in his works, based on subtle effects of pale and dark, the complementary and simultanous contrast or the depth effect of colours. Examined from a distance the shapes as a result of lines emerge, while the lines eclipse in favour of the colour and the associated, distinguished leading of colour environments. A nereby approached contemplation, effectively a zoom on it, enables to discern minimal irregularities of the line due to the manual process of colour application with pencils or crayons: changing pressure or variation of the stroke through abrasion while drawing the line on the paper along a certain distance as well as the translucency of the paper underground. These delicate irregularities ask for accurate visual scanning of each created work. Thereby the drawings develop their allure and illustrate the difference to the possibilities of digital fabrication.

 

Eva Fürstner, text for the folder accompanying the exhibition "Parallel lines" in the MUWA, 2017

 

 

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