Artist : Stephan Spicher
Genre : Paintings
Period : July 20 till August 31 Everyday, 10.00AM till 6.00PM
Location : Amanusa Resort’s Library and Boardroom Bali Golf and Country Club Area Nusa Dua Tel: 772333
Tracing the history of Western Art, from its earliest beginnings, you will find an important and distinctive theme has been ‘Man’ and his, at times, difficult and personal relationship with God. In particular, the inner nature of ‘Man’, which is generally considered to be good or evil, and his struggles to reach a personal spiritual happiness, or undergo a long and arduous journey to enlightenment. Even with Impressionism, when the emphasis shifted to Man and his Environment, this search for spiritual happiness can be found in the work of Monet, for example, in his paintings of his water garden. Artists such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko both spoke of a spiritual harmony to be found in their canvases. Recently, there has been a strong resurgence of interest in Spiritualism. What is most interesting about this new Spiritualism in Western Art is that it is not based so much on Christian beliefs, but finds its expression through the influence of Eastern Mysticism.
Currently, at the Amanusa Resort in Nusa Dua, Swiss Minimal Abstract Expressionist Stephan Spicher, born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1950, has created a spectacular exhibition that displays considerable Eastern Mysticism in his work. Stephan’s art is not representational. That is, he does not depict recognizable objects from life, such as people, buildings or flowers. Rather, his simple, elegant, deep red canvases basically show a thick gold line weaving itself across the works. However, these lines are more than merely lines, for ultimately they determine the language and visual dialect of his works. These lines reflect Stephan’s spiritual journey.
After coming to the East, Stephan Spicher has discovered that its artists, the Balinese, Japanese, and Chinese, share with him a common concern for the expression of the infinite. “The Far Eastern attitude, shown in the lines that sum up their art works, tends to be personal and emphasize interiorization, as shown for example in the Zen tradition. The Balinese attitude, on the contrary, tends to be impersonal and collective, as shown by collective rites aimed at restoring a cosmic balance. My attitude is, on the other hand, personal and exteriorized. It is to the infinite that I address my concerns”.
All of the paintings in this exhibition are simply entitled ‘Eternal Line, 1 thru 34’. Apart from three ‘Ink on Paper’ studies, the majority of these works are created in red and gold, which are classic Far Eastern colors with strong associated spiritual significance. Stephan builds up a lush, deep red canvas that has all the appearance of a Chinese lacquer. Into this dense, rich background are etched thick, strong, gold lines with a slightly tarnished, or weathered, appearance. The initial impression of the works is of a supreme, decorative, simplicity. These superb canvases appear almost like Chinese, or Japanese, pictograms or hieroglyphs, conveying an iconic, yet, intangible, narrative. Closer study reveals Stephan’s exquisite Zen-like sense of balance and placement. As the gold lines weave their way across the canvases, their symbolism as a metaphor for an ongoing spiritual journey is impossible to misread. Also very impressive within these works is the dazzling conceptual clarity, fluency and unity in which the minimal paintings have been created.
In this exhibition Stephan Spicher has amply demonstrated his technique of combining Far Eastern Spiritualism with a contemporary Western Art style. However, to be pedantic, a question can be asked: Do Western artists, such as Stephan, open themselves to the spiritual question of the infinite as a result of their contact with the East, or is this Spiritualism simply the next winning trend of Western Contemporary Art, after all others have been exhausted? In the case of Stephan Spicher, there can be no doubting his commitment to this new movement of Spiritual Minimalism, for his work displays a deep understanding and appreciation of Eastern Mysticism. This is a stunning and quietly moving exhibition. It is very highly recommended.
