by Anna Rathman
Brigitte Riesebrodt's "Metamorphoses" requires a sensory approach. While that may seem pointless to say, the works focus on the fundamental change of forms blocks a content-based reading. Through her use of color and texture, Riesebrodt distills experiences into more simplistic forms. Using materials such as books and wine barrels, and color palettes from nature and Italian Renaissance paintings, she strips away and reappropriates much of the original source to create a new way of experiencing for her audience.
With titles such as "Tranquility Blossoms" and "Early Growth", it is
clear the paintings included in "Metamorphoses" draw from nature for
inspiration. The work on display shows a natural evolution in the body
of Riesebrodt's work. Moments in some of her earlier works, such as
"Buche Berlin I" (2004) and "Schriftbild, Circle" (2002), have come to
full fruition in the current exhibition. The paintings consist of
brightly colored, textured stripes arranged vertically. The consistent
format puts emphasis on color as a way of experiencing. The use color
combined with the textured surface of the paintings make them a feast
for the eyes, but without the other works on display; they would not
have been so successful. These pieces make it clear that the formal
relationships between the three types of work are what give the
exhibition substance.
Using disassembled wine barrels as her canvas, Riesebrodt paints blocks
of color borrowed from Italian Renaissance paintings. The latter fact
would be completely overlooked if not for titles such as "Filippo's
Couple" and "Fra Angelico's St. John". The works are difficult to
categorize. The material and their form would make them seem like
sculpture. However, instead of being displayed or used as such, they
are hung on the wall and used in a manner that makes them feel like
replacement canvases. Painting on only one side of the objects also
makes them feel more like paintings than sculptures. If it were not for
moments where the wood is visible or hints to their original function
like holes and grooves, the identity of the wine barrels would be
completely unidentifiable. So why wine barrels then? There is a
connection between wine and Italy, but this seems too easy. The answer
most likely lies in Riesebrodt's earlier work, in which she used
mailbags in a similar fashion. Both served the purpose of carrying and
transporting things, but now as art objects for transporting ideas. The
object then is pointing out the sometimes-unnoticed role of the canvas
as a vessel for ideas and experiences.
Riesebrodt's collages, while large in number, do not interact with the
other works in a way that brings new layers to the work. The pieces
consist of disassembled books with spines, covers, and mainly pages
arranged in different formats and patterns with some painting. While
the original object is still identifiable, the text seems
inconsequential and the book itself an easily replaced motif. While the
collages do not provide much, their dissimilarity and connections with
the other works help understand the artist's focus. The appearance of
layered book pages is reminiscent of the textured stripes on the
paintings, and speaks to the condensing of an experience into a
tangible format. The collage pieces use found objects in a similar way
to the wine barrel paintings. It is as if taking apart the object
erases its original purpose and what it signifies, and now functions as
an artistic medium.
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Tags: Anna Rathman, Metamorphoses, Roy Boyd, VayKay
