Galerie Falk Losniza is delighted to present Wald – Jankel Alter‘s first solo exhibition with the gallery.

Following a long period of working figuratively, Jankel Alter is currently presenting paintings of trees. When asked why he paints trees, he offers no clear answer – at least none that can be summarized in a single sentence.

The starting point for his paintings is always real trees that he has seen. This is evident in the often topographic titles of the works. Yet these paintings are not depictions of trees – at least not in the naturalistic, representational sense of 19th-century painters. Nor are they prototypes, “trees-in-themselves,” since they retain their individuality despite the painterly interpretation.

The paint is applied in a rather dry, sometimes translucent manner, certainly not opaque. In many of the paintings, the color detaches itself from the subject. It takes on a life of its own and becomes a central element of the painting’s concept. Overall, the use of color recalls the period around and after 1900, the time of color’s increasing emancipation as a vehicle of expression (Fauvism, Expressionism, and their forerunners). The trees and their surroundings appear simplified, stripped of detailed depiction. And yet there is no abstraction – the painting remains representational. There are no narratives, no action, no theory, no moral, no movement. At most, one might perceive a time of day or a season. The viewer learns almost nothing about trees from these paintings.

The artist himself has offered us a clue. When asked about the meaning of the trees, he replied, “...so I don’t have to think about the subject.” This suggests a kind of simplification. He uses trees, quite simply, as a recurring motif. It seems, then, that the trees themselves are not of primary importance to him. And yet, over time, a whole series of works has emerged, all revolving exclusively around the theme of trees.

A broader insight into art in general might provide some orientation. One characteristic of art is its artificiality. This reference to the freedom – and ultimately the necessity – of artistic creation can help us understand Jankel Alter’s paintings. It becomes clear that an artwork requires a form of shaping that is not nature and should not be confused with it.

The painter’s work consists in arranging colors on a canvas. In the best case, he succeeds in organizing these colors according to the requirements of a unique and unmistakable artistic concept. The starting point – and one might say pretext – for Alter’s paintings is real trees he has seen. What follows is painting – image-making according to the artist’s vision. Alter achieves in his work a distinct and unmistakable tone – it is no small thing to have a signature style.

Text by H.G. Schröder

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