Executed on a monumental scale, Gunther Förg’s Untitled is the ultimate synthesis of a lifelong practice that has delved into the abyss of both Modernism and Abstract Expressionism. Contrasting the smaller works on wood that the artist was producing at the t.mes , Untitled engulfs the viewer with an intoxicating presentation of space, depth, colour and scale.

Within Untitled we see artistry appropriated from the godfather of Abstract Expressionism: Clyfford Still. The present work demonstrates how Förg acquired the dramatic abstract forms and established expressive brushwork whilst working on a monumental scale, all techniques that Still suffused within his practice. This approach provided powerful tools to convey the universal themes plaguing the world at the t.mes . The struggle of creation and delicate balance between life and death were rife in people’s minds in the aftermath of the Second World War when Still was at the forefront of the Abstract Expressionist movement. The artist focused these dark themes and fused them between the colours on the canvas, each brushstroke delicately complimenting the torment of emotion. We can see this visceral determination mirrored in Förg’s creation of Untitled, where he presents a hot red flash of acrylic tearing through the monochromatic darkness that creeps from corners of the towering canvas. Förg’s simple compositional formula fuels a rhythmic clash between these rich hues: the expansive enigma of an infinite black, the refreshing streak of yellow, and the heat of a fiery cadmium red. Förg obsessively engaged with the pictorial practice of his predecessors, liberally adapting techniques and tropes of their painting styles with an uninhibited approach to imitation, appropriation, and influence. Albert Oehlen commented on his friend’s career stating “Förg creates sublime works from something that is already sublime” (Albert Oehlen cited in: Andreas Schlaegl, ‘Günther Förg: Galerie Max Hetzler’, Frieze, Spring 2012, online resource).

Throughout the differing series within Förg’s oeuvre, we see the artist appropriating many of his former modern art pioneers. The artist’s earlier Lead Paintings series in the 1990s, takes inspiration from the iconic ‘Zip’ paintings of Barnett Newman. Within these works we see Förg create geometric abstractions with acrylic paint on lead sheeting, rolled or wrapped around a wooden panel or frame, employing minimal and elemental compositional devices to reduce the work to a pure essence. In the late 1980s, Förg offers a stylistic salute to Mark Rothko and his colour field theory by creating large planes of flat, solid colour spread across areas of an unbroken surface. Using Rothko’s ideology, Förg unveils his personal interpretation within his own works, favoring the differing textural qualities of the materials over Rothko’s intent for continuity within the process. Untitled stands as evidence of the emphatic nature of his artistry, as test.mes nt to his stylistic ingenuity, and as confirmation of his innovative creative approach, focusing on the materiality of art in its most untreated state. In the captivating grandeur of Untitled, the purity of colour and form are laid bare for us as a visual puzzle that epitomises the very best of Förg’s artistic synergies.