Volker Rossenbach - BIRDS

The Narrative-ism of Volker Rossenbach, between art-historical references and a penchant for interdisciplinary expression

There are life paths and stances of some contemporary art figures that lead to the realization that the figurative approach does not necessarily have to be separated from the literary, philosophical, historical, and sociological approaches, so that they can unite to offer an unusual perspective precisely because of their indeterminacy regarding placement in a single domain. Not only that: there are artists who add the absolutely contemporary need to measure themselves with less traditional, less orthodox means—if one wants to call them that—which thus differ clearly from the resulting painterly style and yet are incredibly harmonious and located in a now indispensable modernity. The protagonist of today is all of this and much more, for he draws on his deep knowledge of art history and literature and blends both, taking up the intuitions and theories of 20th-century avant-garde thinkers.

In the first decades of the 20th century, culture society had to witness, reluctantly, how all convictions, certainties, and rules that had shaped art up to then began, in a movement called Dadaism, which originated in Switzerland but spread to other European countries, to adopt a desecrating, sardonic, and polemical stance toward the art system of that time. Apart from the visual representation resulting from the ironic transformation of any object into a work of art, the innovative aspect lay in the introduction—or rather the bringing together—of other disciplines into experimentation, which authors such as Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp, and Marcel Duchamp judged decisive for the entire movement. Theater, photography, collage, and photomontage were the synergies that the Dadaists had anticipated and later the Bauhaus, the great and revolutionary school of applied arts of the Weimar Republic in Germany, not only used the intuitions of their Swiss predecessors but also decided to introduce many other techniques that could be connected with art, as the other, just a little earlier, fundamental movement Arts and Crafts had already anticipated. As times changed and society underwent a profound transformation, it became necessary for the head of the school, Walter Gropius, to incorporate subjects such as architecture, theater, graphics, advertising, weaving, metalworking, and many other disciplines into the curriculum, which, although considered crafts, stood in complete harmony with art in its highest and most comprehensive sense. Although Bauhaus formally oriented itself toward De Stijl, its path underscored the importance of merging different modes of expression, through which it was possible to connect and introduce those innovations that began to gain traction in the years, especially after the end of World War II. One of these was computer art, created by a mathematician and a philosopher, Ben Laposki and Manfred Frank, who used oscilloscopes and light waves to generate undefined and abstract artistic lines; these experiments were only the beginning of a digital art that was initially impeded and regarded as a lesser form of expression, as it was accessible to everyone. Today, however, it has perfected itself and requires special craftsmanship. It finds numerous applications, from art to graphics and advertising to multimedia installations, especially for artists who enjoy experimenting and merging different techniques, and it has earned itself a place at the forefront of the contemporary art world. The German artist Volker Rossenbach has had a career that has constantly brought him into contact with innovations, but also with his mental and cultural liveliness, thanks to which he has engaged not only with art but also with literature and history—areas that have always interwoven with a classical, almost renaissance-like pictorial language, which, however, makes use of digital technology. The endless possibilities that digital art now offers and the need for a return to a classical and traditional aesthetics—i.e., in a sense in opposition to the beginnings of its practical application—shape his visual style, which arises from a fusion of drawings and photographs enriched with filters and textures, subsequently scanned and composed into an image with Photoshop and Illustrator; he then applies it manually with acrylic paints, felt-tip pens, and chalk to give the work its final appearance. His most recent works are inspired by subjects from international literature with strong narrative character, which he mixes with quotes and references to masterworks of art history, his ironical view and his interpretation linked to reflections on current topics not missing. It seems almost as if Volker Rossenbach wants to emphasize that the past, despite outward differences, is ultimately not so far from the present. This may be the deeper meaning of the title he chose for his art, for his painting approach, which comes from the latest mixed technique, namely that of Narrativism, in which the artistic tradition studied over the years becomes the interpreter of references to philosophically-narrative thoughts of authors from around the world, provided they are in harmony with the moment of execution and at the same time refer back to the sociological and personal observation of a world that seems to run too fast to pause to contemplate the beauty of enjoying the single moment. This line of thought runs through the work “Mystwelt” (Self-portrait on the island Myst), in which Volker Rossenbach positions himself with his back to the camera in a scene that resembles the famous work of the German Romantic Caspar David Friedrich titled “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog”; Unlike the 19th-century artist, the work here, however, is enriched with metaphysical details that symbolize that everything, even if clearly visible and not shrouded by fog, can still present an inexplicable mystery, unless one has the patience and will to pause and look deeper than superficial perception. The jacket recalls the overlaps of emptiness and fullness in René Magritte’s surrealist visions, while on the lower right one can discern one of Giorgio De Chirico’s figures; the work essentially presents a synthesis of Volker Rossenbach’s life, a long journey through art history and the most captivating literary works, from which Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s message in The Little Prince emerges: that what is essential is invisible to the eye. In the work The Forest of magical beings, he combines the colorful beauty of nature with the presence of tropical animals such as parrots, toucans, and chameleons, placing at the center the image of a painter who, because of her ability to live with pain, but also because she has profoundly shaped 20th-century art history, is regarded as a nearly supernatural heroine—my reference is of course to Frida Kahlo. Beside her, in a futuristic world, the author adds a kind of humanoid woman, a projection of what tomorrow’s humans might look like in a context where the vitality of nature may be diminished due to today’s humans’ lack of respect for it. The magic to which the title refers thus traverses time, breaks down boundaries, and enables an overarching perspective that can serve as a warning to pay more attention to the future while always keeping in view the harmony and vitality of the past. Siddhartha, on the other hand, has a double meaning, for on the one hand it presents a visual synthesis by Volker Rossenbach of Hermann Hesse’s masterpiece to which the title refers, and on the other hand it expresses its deeper significance, for which the short novel became famous at the time of its publication: the search for oneself, the longing to find oneself, the pride of the individual against the world and history, in a time just after World War II when every certainty and every referent had been lost due to the Nazi atrocities. In the work, the entire mystic and Oriental atmosphere that characterizes the novel is expressed, as well as the symbolism of freedom and the reference to the true, highest, and spiritual essence on which Siddhartha’s insight and ability to self-analyze rested; The mystical aspect of the figure at the center of the painting is made even more impressive by the use of vivid, rich colors, which can be traced back to hippie philosophy, because of which the book has often been seen as a symbol of the values of a movement that changed the world. Volker Rossenbach completed his studies in graphic design in 1969 and, after working as Art Director and Creative Director for international agencies such as Leo Burnett or Grey, founded his own agency, E/B/D, in Düsseldorf; his works, including the great Coca-Cola campaign of 1976–1978, were awarded multiple times. From the more experimental works of his early creative years he has now moved to a more figurative and traditional viewpoint, while always maintaining his tendency to use and blend innovative and unconventional means of expression; he can look back on participation in group and solo exhibitions in Germany.

Text: Marta Lock, Italy. Art historian and curator.

This work, BIRDS, is from my series of portraits with a bird. The representation is based on a drawing from a live model.
My pictures are located in the following countries: USA (New York, Phoenix, Miami, Springfield, Santa Barbara), Canada (Montreal), Singapore, Taipei, Finland, Italy, France, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Austria, Luxembourg and many places in Germany.

Exhibitions National and International.
More information at rossenbachart on the net