PONCE, PUERTO RICO.- In collaboration with the Mönchehaus Museum für Moderne Kunst in Goslar, Germany, Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) opened the first solo exhibition in the American continent of contemporary German painter David Schnell. By the name Hover, the show presents nineteen recent works in which Schnell explores the crossings between culture and nature.
Chief Executive Officer and Director of MAP, Agustín Arteaga, Ph.D, explained that “The work by this young and prestigious German artist makes me think about the transformations started by J.M. William Turner in England at the end of the 19th century, by showing fantastic landscapes, taken to a higher level, when landscape has always been considered as a secondary gender in relation to anecdotic painting or abstract expressionism. If Turner documented the English countryside landscape of his time and turned it into great art, David Schnell does the same with landscapes we witness today.”
One of the most significant characteristics of the fantastic landscapes by Schnell is their deep perspective, which practically turns the viewer into part of the work. This use of perspective is highly related both to painting of the Italian Renaissance as to the virtual reality constructed in video-games, digital animation and cyber space.
Cheryl Hartup, Chief Curator of MAP, said that the ambiguous and fluid landscapes by Schnell “could relate to the ever changing landscapes from Puerto Rico. There is a sensible tension in Schnell’s work, which is simultaneously threatening and tempting. From this context, one could ask if such landscapes are, in ultimate instance, under construction or destruction. The viewer shall determine that”.
After the fall of the Berlin wall, in 1989, Schnell studied painting at the centennial Arts Academy in Leipzig, located in the East of Germany. There, he received a classical style education, in the topics of theory of color, composition, perspective and figuration. His training imitated that of the great European masters whose works are part of MAP’s collection. Given his academic background, Schnell is highly interested in exhibiting his works at MAP, where they will be placed at short distance from the paintings of the permanent collection. This will allow contemporary art to get closer to the institution and therefore reaffirm its vitality, currency and cultural relevance.
David Schnell was born in 1971 in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. From 1995 to 2000, he studied painting at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst and, from 2000 to 2002, he completed higher art studies with acclaimed professor Arno Rink. Schnell’s work has been a part of group shows in the US, Korea, China and Europe.
Map’s commitment to contemporary art has been evidenced sine its foundation. Since 1961, the institution has organized contemporary art exhibitions by local and international artists. Hover gives continuance to such tradition.
The exhibition Hover is possible thanks to the sponsorship of Coca–Cola in Puerto Rico; María and Alberto de la Cruz; Sandra and José González; Tita and Mark Greene and of Institute für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V. in Stuttgart. It also includes the edition of a full color catalogue, containing essays by the Director of the Mönchehaus Museum für Moderne Kunst, Dr. Bettina Ruhrberg; by Dr. Dieter Daniels, Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, and by Chief Curator of MAP, Cheryl Hartup.
The exhibition will remain open to the public trough March 9, 2008 and is complemented by a varied program of educational activities. For guided visits and activities related to the exhibition, please call 787.812.4907 / 4908/4909 or 787.840.0505 / 1510. You may also visit our webpage at www.museoarteponce.org or write to map@museoarteponce.org.
