DE
Artists from A-Z Bruno Gasser

1947–2010
  • Schnitt ins Gras (1985)
    Schnitt ins Gras
    Artist: Bruno Gasser Dating: 1985 Type: Printmaking Material: Lithography on paper Measures: 57,2 x 76,5 cm Acces / purchase date: Unbekannt Inventory number: 5400 Copyright: © Nachlass Bruno Gasser; Foto: Christian Baur, Basel
  • Komposition Rot/Blau (1981)
    Komposition Rot/Blau
    Artist: Bruno Gasser Dating: 1981 Type: Work on paper Material: Reactive colors on glued papers Measures: 89,9 x 88,9 cm Acces / purchase date: 1982 Inventory number: 0180 Copyright: © Nachlass Bruno Gasser; Foto: Christian Baur, Basel
While still a student, Bruno Gasser came across the theme that would determine his future work: Grass. On the basis of this unpretentious piece of nature, he explores the classical questions of painting: on the one hand, the effect and mixture of colours, using the whole palette; on the other hand, the effect and representation of light and shadow, especially with pencil and black chalk - both in gradations between representationalism and abstraction.

The focal point is always at the height of the grass, no horizon is visible, so that one can speak more of structural studies than of landscapes. Bruno Gasser sees his work as thinking in colour. He does not proceed conceptually, but always approaches the pictorial idea anew. Concentrating on the inconspicuous, the insignificant, the seemingly unchanging requires a close look. Because the subject matter is always the same, the results of the research on colour and perception can be compared.

In the creative process, Gasser lays several layers of lines on top of each other until a complex network of structures emerges in which the first strokes can only be guessed at. Each work thus acquires its own rhythm. Even if some of the pictures seem photographic, especially in the play between sharpness and blurriness, Bruno Gasser is not a photorealist. His pictures arise from the gesture and not from a concrete natural model. The movement of the painting hand and the brushstroke shape the texture of the painting surface. In this respect, Gasser is in the tradition of Informel, but his works always retain the reference to the object - even if sometimes only in the title. In his constant artistic engagement with grass, Gasser develops a body of work independent of fashion trends. Grass painting thus becomes his signature.

Eveline Suter, 2008