A kaleidoscope of complex associations

The range of Kläre Anton's work is so wide and varied that the viewer may at first wonder how they could all be by the same artist. There are precisely executed flower paintings, reduced landscapes, abstract compositions of deconstructed flora and overlays of photography, writing and painting. On closer inspection, however, the commonalities quickly become apparent, for all the works are highly associative, telling much more than they appear at first glance, bringing to life worlds of thought, evoking memories, allowing analogies to emerge and stories to unfold. Anton plays skilfully with our collective understanding of metaphors and symbols, making such clever use of our shared cognitive image archive that she can reliably evoke resonance with just a few selected fragments.

The Cologne-based artist uses a variety of techniques in her work, including printmaking, oil painting and encaustic, which involves painting with wax and fire. This is one of the oldest painting techniques, used long before oil paints were common. The combination of these very different media allows Anton to create compositions that are not only particularly vivid, but also literally multi-layered, as she skilfully plays with the rustic character of fire painting and the glazed lightness of wax. In this way she overlays several narrative levels, creating ambiguous arrangements, or applies a satin finish to evoke a veil of fading memory. Anton's works are highly suggestive, but they also withdraw, leaving the viewer enough space to follow his or her own stream of associations.

More about the artist: Kläre Anton's artist page