The paintings of Gotthard Graubner (born 1930 in Vogtland) evolve entirely from his organization of the paint as a substance and a color and exploration of its inherent order.

Graubner does without any kind of perspectival or mimetic figuration as well as any metaphoric allusions, so that color alone is the determining factor of the theme, the form, the space and the movement of light in the painting. The Farbraumkörper (color-space bodies), so-called by the artist, come about by underlaying the picture plane with absorbent material, thus enabling an unhindered absorption of paint and the unfolding of the inherent qualities of its color. The specific impact of color is what makes up the nature of his painting: an impact that is cultivated in the consciousness and the eye of the beholder.

The works reproduced in this book – paintings, drawings and works on paper – make it possible for the reader to follow the development of Graubner’s distinct position in the art world.