To clarify the complex circumstances and themes of his existence, A. R. Penck developed his signature pictogram style in the mid-1960s. It was not only the suspicious authorities of his country that found his pictorial content difficult to decipher. However, his inimitable formal language cannot be explained solely in terms of encryption, as the artist also developed this system with the idea of finding a new visual language with inherent logic. There is a way of reading his pictures, however, there is always more than one way. In his art, A. R. Penck repeatedly addresses the ominous nature of the Cold War. It was not without alluding to this nationally decreed ice age that the artist chose his pseudonym in 1969 after the geologist and ice age researcher Albrecht Penck (1858-1945). But he also used various other pseudonyms, such as the "Y" here, to mount exhibitions in the West under the radar of state security. As early as 1965, he met his future gallery owner Michael Werner through Georg Baselitz and he mounted several exhibitions in his gallery. His first solo show in a West German museum was on display at Haus Lange in Krefeld as early as 1971 and his success would be far-reaching: although his participation in documenta V in 1972 brought him artistic recognition in the West, his success also restricted his scope of action in the East, as Penck was banned from exhibiting there. In a deep crisis caused by the reprisals, Penck finally filed for emigration in 1980, more involuntarily than voluntarily, and moved to West Germany.

"Ende im Osten (Ostende)" from 1979 can therefore be understood as a take on this painful parting with his Dresden home. The figures and signs float across the picture in light colors, denser in some areas than in others. Our picture is signed "Y" in ballpoint pen at the bottom right and thus also bears witness to the extremely difficult circumstances of an artist torn between East and West. The end (of his life) in the East seemed like a distant vision that also contained elements of oppression. The artist himself did not want to decipher his pictures, as this would rob them of their magic. Each of us has to discover the mood and meaning himself and that is what makes his works so fascinating. [EH]