Tribute

March 20, 2020

“There’s a certain mystery in making paintings, and I don’t want to destroy that”. Wolf Kahn

I’m dedicating this painting to the memory of Wolf Kahn, one of my favorite modern artists, who passed away several days ago.

Wolf Kahn’s paintings are always radiant, vibrant and clear, as if the air itself has become more transparent. His paintings are composed of bright colors – often lemon yellow, bright orange and raspberry red. His bright sunny pictures seem to impress in your memory, stay there for a long time and attract you again and again, because you want to experience that sensation again and again.

Wolf Kahn is an American artist of German origin. He emigrated to the USA in 1940.

In Wolf Kahn’s art you can find the combination of Hans Hofmann’s abstract expressionism, Henri Matisse’s colors, Mark Rothko’s wide colorful planes and American impressionism.

Wolf Kahn perfectly combined color, spontaneity and reality –this feature distinguishes his paintings and makes you come back to see them again and again.

I’m so sorry that the flow of these amazing paintings has stopped, but we can look at what Wolf Kahn created with gratitude, love and attention.

A fragment of John Seed’s interview with Wolf Kahn. 2014.

…“The artist has but one idea,” noted Henri Matisse. “He is born with it and spends a lifetime developing it and making it breathe.” …

John Seed: … What is happening in your painting right now? 

Wolf Kahn: People say I am doing my best work right now: it isn’t as precise as it used to be.  One of the things I like to do these days is to be less descriptive. Doesn’t mean being more abstract: it just means being less precise.

JS: So if you are worrying less about making things less identifiable, how does that affect you?

WK: It makes me free up my arm. You don’t have the feeling that when you are painting a branch you don’t have to describe the branch. If you are a figurative painter and you want to put in a third leg you’d have to be Michelangelo to get away with it.

So, being less precise allows me to be compositionally and formally more inventive.

The full interview with Wolf Kahn.

Have a nice day!

Stay healthy and tuned.