Lars Teichmann is a painter (1980 in Burgstädt, Germany). This is true for many artists. But painting is not only the artistic medium of his choice but also the point of departure for his works.

Teichmann’s sources of inspiration are historic paintings from various artistic periods. He chooses images, which fascinated him at the first glance. He then traces this fascination with his own specific form of abstraction. The figure always remains recognizable but rather as a shadow or a notion. Teichmann plays with the viewer’s perception and the individual and collective visual memory.  

Some of his paintings relate to baroque portraits, others to neoclassical equestrian pictures. His latest series, premiering at Kunstpalais, explores the French Salon paintings of the 19th century and in particular the works by William Adolphe Bouguereau. The paintings of this epoch are opulent, obsessed with details and dulcet. Teichmann translates these images by adopting parts of the composition, reducing the color palette and the details—for the benefit of a gestural and wild style of painting. The faces consist solely of white spots with paint dripping out of them. The figures thereby appear ghostly and sinister—and especially present.

Teichmann explores the idea that there are unwritten rules for the way images function. He follows the assumption that paintings, which have fascinated people for centuries, have something in common—an aura.

Image: Lars Teichmann, Smaragd Angel, 2015, acrylic and varnish on canvas, 200 x 270 cm, Photo: Annette Apel