Raffi Kalenderian
07 Nov 2014 - 17 Jan 2015
RAFFI KALENDERIAN
7 November 2014 - 17 January 2015
The Buchmann Galerie is pleased to announce the second solo exhibition of works by Raffi Kalenderian (U.S.A., *1981, lives in Los Angeles). This new exhibition will be focusing on the artist’s drawings.
For Raffi Kalenderian, works on paper or drawings - as he calls them irrespective of the technique used - are an autonomous medium. Some are of an earlier date than the paintings, which makes them sources for the creation of the final painting, or they accompany the paintings as flanking works. Other drawings return to earlier motifs and compositions and present a variation on these. Kalenderian interweaves drawing and painting very closely and the artist uses this interaction to reveal new layers of meaning.
The portrait drawings are either done from life or are based on photographs and compositions used in earlier paintings. What makes these works stand out is the fact that they go beyond being simply a rough draft sketch for a painting. This can be seen in the details, many of which are meticulous, or in the artist’s choice of materials, with Kalenderian using pencil, coloured crayons or fine brushes.
In the drawings the social interaction between the artist and his model during the portrait sitting can be seen in the flowing boundary between the physical and the mental world of the person portrayed and the artist’s perception of this. Raffi Kalenderian transfers his work with the model in the studio, which is a blend of stagesetting, coincidence and spontaneity, to his own artistic invention of form. This multi-layered fusion of artist and model is one of the most outstanding and fascinating qualities of these drawings.
Kalenderian often shows the model in several poses in a single drawing. With this compositional approach he succeeds in capturing multiple emotional states in one picture, and at the same time portrays a sequence of events. The motif of the doppelganger indicates the various facets of the sitter’s personality, or the interrelation between the artist and his model.
Raffi Kalenderian repeatedly creates in his drawings an atmosphere of isolation and introspection, where his figures seem to be in a state of extreme concentration. A very interesting aspect is the significance that Raffi Kalenderian gives to everyday objects, such as patterned carpets, curtains, ceilings or furniture, in his compositions. They open up a fascinating doorway to a more abstract level of meaning in these works.
7 November 2014 - 17 January 2015
The Buchmann Galerie is pleased to announce the second solo exhibition of works by Raffi Kalenderian (U.S.A., *1981, lives in Los Angeles). This new exhibition will be focusing on the artist’s drawings.
For Raffi Kalenderian, works on paper or drawings - as he calls them irrespective of the technique used - are an autonomous medium. Some are of an earlier date than the paintings, which makes them sources for the creation of the final painting, or they accompany the paintings as flanking works. Other drawings return to earlier motifs and compositions and present a variation on these. Kalenderian interweaves drawing and painting very closely and the artist uses this interaction to reveal new layers of meaning.
The portrait drawings are either done from life or are based on photographs and compositions used in earlier paintings. What makes these works stand out is the fact that they go beyond being simply a rough draft sketch for a painting. This can be seen in the details, many of which are meticulous, or in the artist’s choice of materials, with Kalenderian using pencil, coloured crayons or fine brushes.
In the drawings the social interaction between the artist and his model during the portrait sitting can be seen in the flowing boundary between the physical and the mental world of the person portrayed and the artist’s perception of this. Raffi Kalenderian transfers his work with the model in the studio, which is a blend of stagesetting, coincidence and spontaneity, to his own artistic invention of form. This multi-layered fusion of artist and model is one of the most outstanding and fascinating qualities of these drawings.
Kalenderian often shows the model in several poses in a single drawing. With this compositional approach he succeeds in capturing multiple emotional states in one picture, and at the same time portrays a sequence of events. The motif of the doppelganger indicates the various facets of the sitter’s personality, or the interrelation between the artist and his model.
Raffi Kalenderian repeatedly creates in his drawings an atmosphere of isolation and introspection, where his figures seem to be in a state of extreme concentration. A very interesting aspect is the significance that Raffi Kalenderian gives to everyday objects, such as patterned carpets, curtains, ceilings or furniture, in his compositions. They open up a fascinating doorway to a more abstract level of meaning in these works.