The Artistic Evolution of Horst Keining
Horst Keining is a German visual artist who began his formal training at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf after studying civil engineering at the Ruhr-University Bochum. Following his studies under Professor Karin Rissa and Professor Erwin Heerich, he completed his painting studies in 1976. His early exhibitions in 1979 featured large watercolor paintings focused on architectural motifs, specifically the interplay of light and shadow in deserted spaces. By the mid-1980s, his work transitioned toward the human figure and later returned to architecture. During this period, he moved from using watercolor on paper to employing oil-based paint on canvas.
His exploration of architecture evolved into depictions of ground-plans and perspective fragments, sometimes reducing three-dimensional structures to flat, striped compositions. Keining also integrated script and text elements into his work, including brand names and car manufacturer models. In 2002, he created a series based on text fragments from Marquis de Sade, using smudged oil paint to distort the words. His later technique involved using a spray gun and synthetic resins to create ornamental structures, a method he applied to both wall paintings and canvas.
Style and Compositional Techniques
The style of Keining's work is characterized by the combination of diverse elements such as flowers, animals, ornaments, comics, and advertisements. He often utilizes a technique of layering, where portions of a picture are created through sprayed paint and others through brushed paint. This creates multiple visual levels, such as a sharp silhouette of script positioned in front of a blurred, sprayed ornament. This approach results in a sense of ambiguity and blurred contours within the composition.
