Ohne Titel (Vision Rapperswil Nr. 11). 1982.
Mixed media. Nails and white latex paint on canvas, on wood fragment.
Verso signed, dated and inscribed as well as an arrow indicating the direction. 53.5 x 43 x 9 cm (21 x 16.9 x 3.5 in). [SM].

PROVENANCE: Erker Galerie, St. Gallen.
Private collection Switzerland.
Private collection Austria.

Our works is part of the group of "Nagelbilder" (Nail Pictures) that laid the basis for Uecker's international fame. In Uecker`s oeuvre the nail, an anonymous industrial product, is asymbol of intense spiritual expression. The nail is traditionally associated with concepts of holding on and fixating, however, in his nail pictures Uecker uses the material to illustrate motion. Light and shade enliven the image surface with the whirls of huddled nails and create a rhythmical dynamic that changes with the observer's position. The white paint applied below the nails increases this effect. With the combination of painting and nail work, the formations of little swirls let the nails appear like rays and the composition does not have a threatening but rather fragile appearance. This makes our work a prime example of Uecker's nail pictures from the 1980s, which, charged with a new form of emotionality, allow for an era characterized by an increased subjectivity. Uecker's creation stands in the context of this new epoch of utmost modernity and deep spirituality.