Written traces of history

Frank Hinrichs' paintings can be read as inscribed traces of the fleeting moment. The traces of an incident are never identical to the event itself, and so Hinrichs' paintings also flow between almost analytical-seeming structural systems, abstract compositions, and floral gestures. In doing so, they combine in a fascinating way an immense wealth of interwoven details that are almost impossible to disentangle with a visual language that is clear and, despite all its opulence, ultimately strictly reduced. The works are created in numerous steps, with material being applied, removed again, remodeled, and shaped layer by layer. In this way, the picture evolves like a constantly changing narrative until one single moment of the plot is captured in full motion. This dynamic is transferred directly to the image as a calm force full of energy.

Using materials such as stone powder, resin, pigment, and oil paint, Hinrichs creates pictures with a sculptural character that seem to reach into the space, rising above two-dimensionality and connecting with the world. In this way, the artist, who was born in Mühlheim/Ruhr, Germany, in 1956, continues in a certain sense the sculptural work he engaged in intensively during his studies with Alfonso Hüppi at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. His art studies were preceded by a brief period of studying history, which also clearly continues to influence his artistic work today. Frank Hinrichs' painted and modeled historiographies have been regularly exhibited internationally in numerous gallery exhibitions, art associations, and museums for many years.

More about the artist: Frank Hinrichs' artist page