Paintings from the Bueler-Bernard Collection

Gradual 13: I will Move to Cariathiarin. Eyelids Closed., 1991
oil, on canvas, 210x175cm

This painting is part of a series of 15 works entitled Graduales, a series alluding to sacred spaces. The painting’s sub-title refers to the Old Testament. Cariathiarin (today, Kiriath-Jearim) was a city where the Holy Ark* was carried to, after a rage had been cast upon the city of Beth-shemesh (where the ark was originally kept).

Metaphorically speaking, Gradual 13 could be seen as depicting the rage starting to calm down. To symbolise this process, Ybañez painted a blazing flash of lightening that forecasts the approaching rain. A cool, tranquil stream of water starts to make its way through the still smoldering remains, visualised vertically on the painting.

*The Holy Ark: Is described in the Bible as a sacred container, in which the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments were kept.  

untitled, 1998
oil, on canvas, 110x95cm

This composition contains figurative fragments. The first is a dematerialising snail, the second a needle. Both objects are composed on a golden plane. In the dark blue background, traces of other dimensions are fading away.

The surrealist undertones, lead us to the field of dreams. The influential thinker Carl Jung noted that the snail is representative of the self in dreams. In psychology, the soft insides stand for to the unconscious, as the shell is seen as the conscious.  Since the snail’s shell is being deconstructed, the painting might encourage awareness of the unconscious. Once the snail has dematerialised completely, he might fit through the eye of the needle. A fitting passage in the bible points out:

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” Matthew 19:24 (note the golden plane in the painting)

untitled, 1997
oil, on canvas, 200x154cm

The upper section of the painting echoes the sufferings that mankind periodically endures during persecutions and holocausts. The lower section of the painting is submerged in the gentle light of forgivingness, erasing all memories of suffering, fear and injustice.

The final prayer of a Jewish prisoner in a German extermination camp expresses the message of the painting in a deeply moving way.

Oh Lord,
Once you come in your glory,
do not only behold of men of good intent,
behold also those of bad intent.
But do not look upon their atrocities.
Behold of the fruit that these atrocities
bore in spite of all:some of us were taught patience,
others courage.
Behold the comrade,
the humbleness, the greatness of heart and loyalty
we acquired thanks to them.
Oh Lord,
Give us the grace that the fruit we may have deserved through our ordeal may once be their redemption.

Community of the Folded Hands no. 2, 1992
copper, oil, on canvas, 200x200cm

This dark and high gloss painting is intricately adorned with textural elements that create patterns and depth. The central gold shrine-like rectangle captures the focus of attention from which the view spans outwards towards the symmetrically placed points and the miniature devotional figures.

The Christian symbolism gives the paintings a thoughtful aspect and is aptly interpreted by the following passage:

If you bow your head
and feel uplifted –
this is true humility.
If you bow your head –
and feel lowered –
this is false humility.
First you must awaken point by point…
Imagine that you consist of a hundred points.
Each point is connected to the earth by a rope.
A hundred points!
From each point, however, a ray also ascends to God.

(Talking with Angels, Mallasz, G., Daimon Verlag, 2^nd ed., 1992)

Welder, 1989
chalk, charcoal, pastel (soft), on paper, 200x150cm

The Bueler-Bernard collection contains some of the most important works of the Blast Furnace series of 1988-90. Volger’s regular trips to the furnace, has led him to explore his subject almost obsessively. This is evident not least in the size and weight of some paintings, which he completes with iron frames! Volger casts the volcanic forces of this ancient industrial process (dating back to 5000 BC) onto canvas.

Upon closer inspection of the Blast Furnace series, it becomes apparent that with very few lines Volger gives the scene gritty character.  The artist contrasts light and dark in an ingenious way, by injecting vivid flashes of colour to the otherwise gloomy setting.  Volger has turned the workings of the furnace into an alchemistic affair. To quote Volger:  “Perhaps we need to drive the process of creation further in order to awaken an immaterial truth. People don’t feel happy without romance: in the absence of fundamental concerns life does not suffice.”

Yellow Glow II, 1992
oil, on canvas, 170x201cm

The Bueler-Bernard collection contains some of the most important works of the Blast Furnace series of 1988-90. Volger’s regular trips to the furnace, has led him to explore his subject almost obsessively. This is evident not least in the size and weight of some paintings, which he completes with iron frames! Volger casts the volcanic forces of this ancient industrial process (dating back to 5000 BC) onto canvas.

Upon closer inspection of the Blast Furnace series, it becomes apparent that with very few lines Volger gives the scene gritty character.  The artist contrasts light and dark in an ingenious way, by injecting vivid flashes of colour to the otherwise gloomy setting.  Volger has turned the workings of the furnace into an alchemistic affair. To quote Volger:  “Perhaps we need to drive the process of creation further in order to awaken an immaterial truth. People don’t feel happy without romance: in the absence of fundamental concerns life does not suffice.”

untitled, 1988/90
oil, on canvas, 160x113cm

Right hand side
The striking and very intimate painting is part of a monumental 50 work series created by the artist in the 1980’s entitles Elevations (Elevaciones). The artworks follow a uniting theme; they display majestic flights of stairs leading up towards altars or gateways. The strict symmetry and structuring create harmony. Yet, the austere design is juxtaposed by the superb use of colour, as the whole painting seems to be bathed in warm light. The artist applied a unique layering technique and painted complimentary colour flakes to produce a deep and vibrating glow.

As the steps start right at the lower picture edge of the painting, we seem to be invited to delve into this very intimate scene.  The stairs may be a metaphor for the journey the soul takes through prayer or contemplation; ultimately uniting with the divine.

 

Left hand side
untitled, 1993
oil paint, canvas, 130x97cm
Created in a transitory period (1991-93), the last work before embarking on his final series The Gliding Angel (El Vuelo del Angel), this deeply moving and mysterious work is regarded as the heart of the museum.

The artist presents a very pure form of abstraction through the most sensitive manipulation of colour. A burning light seems to radiate from the very core of the painting. In the same tonalities, a light beam sweeps downwards. The background is rendered in a deep purple that still lets light filter through. It is an arresting image that is sometimes described as a wound, a heart, a key or a gateway. Regardless of how it may be interpreted, so many who visit Museu Raset are inspired by it.

The Crown of a Benevolent King, 1989
oil, on canvas, 196x283cm

This magnificent work belongs to the ten part series of works entitled The Crown of a Generous King. Strict design is contrasted by a ‘clouded’, deep blue background of varying gradations. Herreros encourages the viewer to approach his work with intuition, however, the artist has revealed that this particular artwork can be seen as a modern rendition of the Annunciation. The Christian tale that tells the event of the angel Gabriel who came down to the Virgin Mary to announce that she would conceive of Jesus, the son of God. The Virgin Mary has been represented by the elongated form along the left-hand picture edge, her head tilted downwards with humility. On the right hand side of the painting, the rectangular form balancing on its tip and topped by an angular hallow-like shape, symbolises the angel Gabriel. The cluster of semicircles, alongside it, represents a contemporary fashioned wing and the blue background serves as a symbol of hope.

untitled
mixed media, Indian Ink, on paper, 52x79cm

Haho has captured the fleeting moment of changing weather conditions in an inspiring way, only using ink.  The almost abstract work shows a moist and clouded environment, animated by accents of light. To emphasise areas of shade the artist cleverly applied a multitude of micro-clouds creating an organic and almost three-dimensional structure. 

The scene radiates a melancholic character that is intensified by the black, rain-laden clouds. However, Haho also adds elements of play by introducing changing rhythms; soft and harmonious near the top and bottom, but in the centre, the white clouds are presented in a broken up rhythm, to accentuate a sense of urgency. The latter technique returns in the fine, spiky lashes that come from the clouds. The lashes resemble gushes of rain and give the scene a dramatic quality.