Heinrich Siepmann

About the work

In his concrete-constructive works Heinrich Siepmann explores the various tonal values of colour, and in particular the mutual interaction of the pictorial spaces. The transitions between the individual geometric forms are instrumental in determining the expressive character of his lyrically inflected works. Despite the meticulous precision in the compositional arrangement, subtle, but discernible irregularities remain in the execution of the individual forms. Whilst appearing purely constructive in compositional terms, these detailed irregularities lying at the intersection of the individual forms generate a certain tension. The juxtaposition of inexactitudes in the representation of regular shapes, reveals a basic principle of nature: the universal dichotomy between order and chaos. An enquiring artist, Heinrich Siepmann was permanently on a quest. On the one hand, his compositions display his predilection for essentially pictorial themes such as structure, light and transparency, rhythm and dynamics. Yet by the same token, such content can be also read as transcendent to, and extending far beyond, the actual work itself - underscoring that Siepmann was indeed pre-occupied with the fundamental themes of human existence.
(Andrea Fink-Belgin)