“Kandinsky himself divided his works into "impressions," "improvisations" and "compositions" – depending on their distance from the original impulse of life. At the final stop along the way – "compositions" – the artist arrived at pure abstraction. According to this terminology, Spicher’s Blossoms are, of course, "compositions". There are not representations – they are abstract formulae, colour arabesques. The concept is realized with the help of pure painting – the dramaturgy of the line, patch and colour”.
Alexander Borovsky, head of the Contemporary
Art Department in the State Russian Museum.
Flower - an iconic symbol in symbolistic connotation - seems to be more of an anachronism rather than a natural phenomenon of contemporary art in the ХХI century. In fact, this art-chauvinistic shot in no way reflects the reality in the art world. Even a brief insight into the history of art will be much less about flower, than portraits or nude paintings. Even a brief insight into the history of art will be much less about flower, than portraits or nude paintings. After Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol this subject became a sign of extra chic for contemporary artists. Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons are passionate about flower theme to the present day.
Stephan Spicher makes it to the next level in his works. His «BLOSSOM» reminds a colored Rorschach test. This is a new formation of traditional Japanese painting, inspired by European expressionism. Flower, as an object, moves from the category of image cliche to perceiving art form as emotion which is more typical for Oriental art. It is worth noting that the art of South-East Asia and China was well known to Europeans for centuries, while the Japanese art became available only at the end of the XIX century. Since then the transformation of Eastern artistic techniques has become a birthmark of several European artists. However, the actual integration occurred owing to Tsuguharu Fujita - an Ecole de Paris author of Japanese origin. It was exactly his method that defined Orientalism in Europe of the XX century.
Stephan Spicher was born in Basel (Switzerland) and that was the place where he received his art education. However, there is no doubt that evolution of his creative method was influenced by long journeys and life in Asia: Taiwan, Bali and Japan. Combination of European school of academic art with formalized and at the same time diverse Asian tradition define the style of the author.
Spicher first visited Russia in 1991, visiting St. Petersburg a few times, where the artist exhibited in the State Russian Museum in 2007 and 2010.
For Moscow expositions this mono-expression with transparent subject seems to become a stylistic neologism, a big stir at consciousness level.
Author of the photos: tushinetc