Gerhard DOEHLER

Franco-German artist Gerhard Doehler was born in Karlsruhe in 1953.
He lived in Germany and the south of France, where he died in 2020
Since 2009, his work has been exhibited at the Oniris gallery

The first thing that strikes you when you enter a space occupied by Gerhard Doehler is the lightness, the brightness, the coloured vibrations of the rooms and the space. The supports are varied, but they all have very simple shapes: lines, squares, but above all circles.

One should not see an isolated work, one should see the whole. If the pieces are abstract, geometric, you can create a narrative.

These forms do not in themselves evoke anything particular, do not refer to any object, to any function, which would make it possible to identify or even compare them. They impose themselves by the evidence of their state, of their presence, and constitute in a way archetypal models, and seem to be there only as a support of colour and light. Colours are reduced to a few strokes, to rather small surfaces, sometimes, at first glance, we do not even see them if we perceive them.

In order to give these vibrations brought by the colour and light emanating from his circles, the artist goes through a work that supposes a rigorous execution. The acrylic paint is sprayed, the successive layers of varnish are sanded. These operations, repeated several times, then allow the colour, its reflections and shadows, to reach its full intensity. The changeover to aluminium supports has also made it possible to reinforce these vibrations. The works are always presented in series: at least two works are needed for the play to appear. The two pieces have not necessarily been created in relation to each other but can be juxtaposed. It is the variations of these duets that bring out the nuances, sensitivities and effects.

These unique works, although they are all in volume and relief, are to be appreciated mainly as "canvases". Indeed, for Gerhard Doehler, his works are not really paintings in the usual sense of the word, but their lightness prevents them from being seen as sculptures or objects. This is an original approach by Gerhard Doehler who cannot fit into the "optical", "constructed" or any other movement inscribed in contemporary art, but here a work of colourist is put forward, which associates the colour of the paint with the luminosity of the material.