Presented as part of the comprehensive retrospective exhibition "ZERO. Bildvorstellungen einer europäischen Avantgarde 1958–1964“ (ZERO. Pictorial Conceptions from a European Avant-Garde 1958–1964”, held at the Kunsthaus Zürich in 1979, Gotthard Graubner's work ‘gelb gold’ is a radiant early example of the artist's impact on the European art scene. It is not without reason that Gotthard Graubner is said to be a ‘color magician’ and one of the most important representatives of abstract contemporary art. Graubner's works invariably draw on the spatial-plastic effect of color, which arises from multiple layers of paint the artist repeatedly applies, thus leading to the “experience of color through its differentiation” (Gotthard Graubner, quoted from: Gotthard Graubner. Farbräume – Farbraumkörper – Arbeiten auf Papier, exhib. cat. Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 1977, p. 34).
This effect can also be experienced in the present work “gelb gold”, as its color surface seems to breathe and expand into the surrounding space. Working in a technique he devised in the early 1960s, Graubner applied numerous layers on top of one another, creating an image with spatial depth and a chromatic presence. Graubner applied the paint not only with a brush but also with paint brushes, rags, and brooms in order to improve the superimposition of the layers of paint. The canvas seems to become almost liquid, and the myriad of shades, gradations, and transitions create a space within the space – hence the term “color space,” which Graubner would later elaborate into the “color space bodies.”
Gotthard Graubner became internationally known through numerous solo and group exhibitions in Germany and other countries. He participated in documenta 4 and documenta 6, and represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1982. [KA]