Luxurious Large Formats - II of III Posts

The style of axe and brush

The brushstroke (from the Latin ducere = to lead, to pull, to create) describes the way in which artists guide the brush and leave characteristic traces - so-called work traces. It reveals the rhythm of the painting hand and is influenced by the choice of brush as well as by the artist's intention.
Whether used consciously or intuitively, the brushstroke gives a work expression and depth. For example, in a portrait, the fine brushstroke on the face can emphasize particular emotional nuances, while coarser strokes on clothing distract the focus from details. The brushstroke can be fine or coarse, flat or painterly, homogeneous or heterogeneous, dynamic or calm, ordered or free - and it is precisely in this diversity that its power lies.

The Duktus of the Axe – Traces of Power and Gesture

The cut of a tree felled with an axe also has its own style. The marks of the blade - rhythmic, diagonal, sometimes deep, sometimes flat - tell of the movement of the body, the swing of the axe, the resistance of the wood. Each notch is a visible echo of the gesture, frozen in the material. Similar to the brushstroke in painting, this style also reveals the moment of action: sometimes impulsive and raw, sometimes precise and controlled. In both cases, the mark remains as a sign of the process - whether on the canvas or in the wood, always an expression of rhythm, power and intention.

moon wood –
On the Rhythm of the Moon and the Duration of the Moment
For thousands of years, people have been studying the influence of the time of felling on the quality of wood. So-called moon wood, which is felled when the moon is waning, is particularly durable. This ancient practice can be found in traditions from Julius Caesar to the Middle Ages - and modern research, for example at ETH Zurich, confirms that wood harvested in the rhythm of the moon is more resilient, denser and more durable.
But what does that have to do with painting? My work "Hit Wood" not only reflects the image of a pile of wood, but also the idea of ​​ductus - the trace left by a tool. Whether axe or brush: both follow movement patterns that are characterized by power, rhythm and intuition. While the blow of the axe ends the life cycle of the tree, the brushstroke captures the moment and gives it permanence. Just as moon wood defies transience, painting preserves the fleeting and transforms it into permanence.

If you would like to learn more about moon wood and wood in general in the past, you will find some interesting information on this website:

https://wald.lauftext.de/vom-wald-zum-forst/

History of Timber Harvesting