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preview
Polke’s dots
0n show for the first time, a series of gouaches by one of Germany's
kookiest painters, SIGMAR POLKE. Words: Helen Monaghan
‘Styles should be changed with the same frequency as one‘s shirt’. Dadaist Francis Picabia was once quoted
as saying. And perhaps this best sums up the work of
one of Germany‘s foremost painters. Sigmar Polke. the subject of a major exhibition at Edinburgh's National Gallery of Modern Art.
Born in East Germany in 1941. Polke moved to Dusseldorf at an early age. going on to study at the
Staatliche Hunstakademie under the guidance of
Joseph Beuys. Gaining notoriety in the 60s and 70s. Polke embraced elements of the pop art movement taking place in America and the UK during that time. Along with artist Gerhard Richter and art dealer Konrad Fischer. in I967 the three launched Germany‘s answer to pop art. which they termed as ‘capitalist realism'. consumer capitalism and social realism. Since that time. Polke has been an influential figure to a younger generation of artists. and to this day. his artistic output remains prolific.
Organised by the Foreign Cultural Relations in Stuttgart. Music Of Unclear Origin is the title given to a series of 40 gouaches created in I996. the first time that such a large number of works have been seen in the UK. And what is interesting when looking at the works is that little has changed since the 60s. In these multi-Iayered paintings. Polke draws from pop art and abstract expressionism with popular culture
76 THE “ST SJan—I8 Jan 2001
'Styles should be changed with the same frequency as one's Shift.’ Francis Picabia
an ironic contradiction of
‘There's always a pecking order' says Dagmar Steffen and straightens up the butter knife (1996) Sigmar Polke
motifs. His use of Benday dots — the coloured dots used in magazines and newspapers — and the style very much attributed to pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Polke. however. creates his own unique approach. The dots are irregular. of varying sizes. or used as
outlines. with peculiar and intriguing titles. some of
which are less obvious than others.
“Somebody referred to the paintings as being cosmic tasters of his entire output and I think it‘s a very good way of describing them.’ says Philip Long. curator at Edinburgh‘s Dean Gallery. ‘His work is clearly identifiable from the l96()s to the present. but there is this recurring theme throughout and particularly the technique that comes out.
‘Pop art was subversive. but Polke subverted it further.‘ adds Long. ‘He used the style of mass reproduction but made it unclear. In a way. his works are rather ambiguous. whereas Lichtenstein‘s are not.‘
Incorporating many styles into his work is Polke's trademark. so too is a sense of humour. Bringing in a range of subject matter from nursery rhyme characters. childlike drawings which appear to be lifted straight from a Janet And John book. to images of the ideal. happy couple and the nuclear family.
‘He‘s been very influential. and one of these painters that younger artists were very much looking to in the 1980s.‘ says Long. ‘And obviously. it‘s possible to link that in with the stuff that was coming out of Scotland in the mid 8()s.‘
Like the title of the series of gouaches on show. audiences may find meaning to his works too impenetrable. But then this is essentially the very essence of his work.
Sigmar Polke: Music Of Unclear Origin is at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Sat 13 Jan-Sun 18 Mar.
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