Nikolaus List – Analphabetismus Nr. 7

Beguilingly colourful, balancing opulence with restraint, Nikolaus List’s (b. Frankfurt am Main, 1965; lives and works in Berlin) pictures scrutinize the relation between nature and art. Observations of natural scenes around Berlin blend with the artificiality of baroque gardens or early videogames. As List studies the operation of human perception, the painted space alternates between the depth of one-point perspective and a schematized flatness. The rhythmically organized compositions suspend the hierarchical distinction between foreground and background, an effect that is heightened by the often dissonant selection of colours and lends List’s art a “decidedly anti-sublime and anti-minimal” quality. A fallen tree, luminous rampantly growing and coiled branches become a metaphor for our relationships, our existence, for becoming and passing away, renewal and time. Nikolaus List studied with Thomas Bayrle, Peter Kogler, and Christa Näher at the Academy of Fine Arts - Städelschule in Frankfurt. He has taught painting at the Weißensee School of Art and Design and the Berlin Art Institute.