£50
λ LOTHAR HEMPEL (GERMAN B. 1966)YOU'D BETTER LEARN TO FLYAcrylic on aluminium Signed and dated 08 (verso) 170 x 70cm (66¾ x 27½ in.)UnframedProvenance:Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London Acquired from the above in 2008Cologne-born Lothar Hempel has developed a highly distinctive visual vocabulary over his three-decade career. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Stedelijk Museum, Tate Liverpool, and the Centre Pompidou. Hempel borrows from sources as varied as Dadaism and Greek tragedy to inform his thoroughly theatrical practice. Celebrated for his immersive installations, Hempel is also recognised for his series of paintings of carnivalesque figures. Their depiction is codified: standing in profile atop a platform and against a solid backdrop, distinctively clothed. The self-contained nature of these surreal portraits resists the viewer's attempts at self-insertion - Hempel's is resolutely another universe. You'd Better Learn to Fly exemplifies the tongue-in-cheek absurdity of the artist's œuvre, as the jester figure threatens a swan. The sleek, polished finish of this work feels distinctly modern, yet, in its graphic clarity and pronounced characterisation, reminiscent of the vibrant colours and polished finish achieved in pietra dura a highly skilled process of arranging cut stone to achieve intricate and decorative designs that flourished in Florence during the late 16th century.
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