About the work

Heinrich Siepmann belongs to the second generation of Constructivists in Germany, the creative work of which is distinguished by a reduced, geometrical vocabulary of form. Siepmann’s painting B 24 1997 from 1997 fascinates with the superimposition and adjacent placement of triangles, squares and rectangles in various gradations of grey, black and a reddish brown. The red square at the top centre of the painting draws the gaze directly to it and dominates the action. The entire composition is defined by the diagonal, in which the various forms permeate on the canvas. Constructivism principally forsakes a perspectival illusion of space, but spatiality is nonetheless suggested here through the superimposition of the forms. The pronounced diagonal movement is balanced by a vertical accent at the lower right edge of the painting. Siepmann’s work is also distinguished by the painterly aspect. Although the forms are organised strictly geometrically, the brushwork and minimal overpainting remain evident. The creative process is apparent. Siepmann comprehends the horizontal and vertical as the reality behind the directly visible world, in which it is of key importance to find the equilibrium between the polarities. In this work, the artist is successful in a fascinating way in intensifying the energy-charged, diagonal basic composition even further with red accents.