Bidspirit auction | Konrad Klapheck: Die Prüfung

Konrad Klapheck: Die Prüfung - KLAPHECK, KONRAD Düsseldorf 1935 - 2023 Title: Die Prüfung. Date: 1987. Technique: Oil on canvas. Measurement: 105 x 69.5cm. Notation: Signed and dated verso lower centre: Klapheck 87. Frame/Pedestal: Framed. This is Konrad Klapheck's first work after the death of his wife, who died in traumatic circumstances. At that time, Klapheck was unsure whether he would be able to continue painting. Hence the title “Die Prüfung” (The Test). Provenance: - Galerie Lelong, Zurich - Private collection, Cologne (acquired from the previous owner in 1995) - The rope and cleat stand here in linguistic and visual ambiguity as a symbol of human existence - Highly attractive work with vibrant colours - A museum-quality painting in Klapheck's unmistakable 'prosaic hyper-objectivity' Anchor cleat and cord “The Test” is an iconic painting in which Konrad Klapheck convincingly demonstrates his great skill and ingenuity. The motif of this painting, created in 1987, is an anchor cleat with a cord that has been twisted and knotted many times, which was particularly appealing to the painter as a complex, organic-looking object. There is a variant from the same year entitled “Die Probe” (The Test) (Fig. 1). In the catalog of the Recklinghausen exhibition (exhibition catalog Konrad Klapheck - Menschen und Maschinen, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen 2006), the artist published a black-and-white photograph that served as the source of inspiration for his compositions (Fig. 2). When compared with Klapheck's paintings, the photograph illustrates how much the artist altered the photographic model and applied strict formal rules to structure his compositions. Klapheck's paintings far surpass the photograph in terms of austerity and mysterious expressiveness. The two versions of the painting also differ: “Die Prüfung” (The Trial) shows a black-green anchor cleat against a dark green background, with orange-yellow ropes grouped together to form a round-oval shape, while “Die Probe” (The Trial) presents the same motif in different colors: the cleat is brown-yellow, the background is iridescent blue, and the ropes are bright red. In addition, the cords are combined here into a rather accurate shape, which appears more austere in its structure than in “The Trial.” What both paintings have in common is the type of knotting, which develops from the somewhat random-looking entanglement in the photo into an almost choreographed knotting that is reminiscent of the treble clef in musical notation on the right-hand side and may be a subtle reference to Klapheck's great love of jazz. Complex everyday objects with a mysterious expression Formally, Klapheck's paintings featuring fire hoses (“Reichtum” [Wealth], 1976, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, or “Frustration, ” 1981, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen) or the twisted chains in the painting “Bekenntnis” [Confession] (1988, Hamburger Kunsthalle) are similar to this painting. These are not machine images in the strict sense; they show complex everyday objects that Klapheck charges with a mysterious expression in his unmistakable style. The title “Die Prüfung” (The Trial) was chosen only after the painting was completed, as was the case with the variant whose title, “Die Probe” (The Test), can also be read as a variant of “Die Prüfung.” But what exactly is to be tested or tried is left to the viewers to decide. Kay Heymer Estimated shipping costs for this lot: Arrangement after the auction. Explanations to the Catalogue Konrad Klapheck Germany Hyperrealism Post-War Art Post War 1980s Framed Objects Painting Oil Ships