Why are gestural works of art so expensive? This type of painting is apparently created very quickly, because the artist's movements are dynamic and the picture surface is quickly filled. Less experienced art collectors then sometimes ask themselves: What is the value of such a painting, apparently created "quickly"?
They probably try to calculate the value of the painting on the basis of the typical project calculation "time and material". So a few ml of paint, a sheet of paper or a canvas on a stretcher frame plus 10 minutes (or with preparation and finishing work) maybe 2 hours of time. But in the process, a very important factor is lost - the expertise and skill acquired by the artist up to that point. These factors are very important, especially in informal painting and gestural art.
And this is what experienced experts say about it:
In every work of art, two aspects must come together for the artwork to succeed in the artistic sense:
These are technical skill and creative imagination.
Technical skill can be acquired. This kind of skill requires many years of practice, close observation and ultimately a lot of determination. It is about acquiring a high level of expertise and practical skill.
The creative imagination also requires a broad background of experience but also a marked degree of courage and confidence in the success of one's own actions. In order to create a work of art from nothing, the artist has to face his or her own inadequacy, his or her own limitations - and that is no easy task. However, artists do it over and over and over again. They spend a lot of time training their subconscious, strengthening it and thus bringing about a higher probability of success for an artwork.
If a work of art is to be "successful" or even exceptionally good, countless individual elements must fit together perfectly. In the case of paintings, for example, it is a question of the choice of ground, the underpainting (which colour and how many layers?), the choice of medium and the pigments used. And with every application and every brushstroke, the artist takes another step forward and enters unknown territory.
Even a well-planned composition can be full of surprises - some delightful, others potentially devastating. A tired muscle, a brief moment of inattention, perhaps a phone call, an interruption to eat, get materials or talk to a client - all these things divert the artist's attention from her work.
Sometimes this is good and leads to some distance and a new perspective.
In other cases, however, the original idea and conception of the result is lost.
One can therefore say that a painting is a moving target. In order to survive on both an emotional and a very real, practical level, an artist must understand that it is about change - in themselves and in their art.
Change is the constant. Perfection does not exist. But continuous work - and progress - does. And this will to change and to perfect - that is what the collector honours in recognition of the value of a contemporary informal work of art.
Here you will find a few examples of the process of creating dynamic, gestural-abstract artworks:
https://youtube.com/shorts/I1uOmU-wAvU?feature=shareA short "Short" video on YouTube shows one of the paper works in the format 50 x 65 cm.
And another "Making of" video shows you a few excerpts from the process of creating the artwork pictured above.
Feel free to "like" the video with a heart or subscribe to the channel to stay up to date.
Because many of the paintings have a white background, they also present me with completely new photographic challenges. I am still working on the optimal lighting for the shots and on the post-processing for the most true-colour reproduction possible in the photos. As soon as I have catalogued the artwork, the VIPs who receive my Studio Updates will be the first to know about it.
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