Allegory of Painting Husemann 2011-16luzie.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/allegory-of-painting-2016-engli… · Allegory of Painting Husemann 2011-16. Raging Tranquility Susanne Husemann‘s

Allegory of Painting Husemann 2011-16

Raging Tranquility

Susanne Husemann‘s Vermeer VariationsRüdiger Schaper Preciousness and desire are interdependent, they delineate di-stance.

The Art of Painting by Vermeer, a relatively modest-sized, enigmatical-ly allegorical painting, has „established itself as one of the most co-veted paintings in Western art.“ Or so it is said in a publication of the Art History Museum Vienna, which owns this treasure. A punishing judgment: with it, the picture, painted around 1673, becomes inap-proachable – the viewer intimidated or misguided by the vainglorious gasconade. The slim oeuvre of the Dutch painter doesn‘t fare much

The paintings do not resist interlopers; they remain opaque through their silence. It seems as if Vermeer‘s female figures have found a peace within themselves that is not of this world – The Lacemaker, The Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window, The Girl with a Pearl Earring. Childless Madonnas. Objects of celestial infatuation in ma-thematically and perfectly calculated interiors. And here is where a contradiction seems to lie: Are these protective environs constructed – and the angelic-like beings from a secretive life a deception of ena-mored senses? A brilliant, calculated swindle?

Art historians see it as their obligation to decipher Vermeer‘s secret. Most certainly a fascinating work of detection, a wondrous propaga-tion of detailed knowledge. The art business raves in face of the ico-nic taciturnity of a lucid dreamer, a brilliant arranger who disperses the antagonism of emotion and intellect. But it is all only intellectual games, games which sidle up to the secret of Vermeer, encircling and possibly violating it.

One does not get very far when attempting to penetrate these picto-rial environments. The gaze of the women, whether open or sunken, arbitrates the distance. Don‘t come closer? But also: don‘t go away. Within Susanne Husemann‘s Vermeer Variations, it is this gestural aspect that is so stirring. And vexing. It is not permitted? The cropped half-face of the girl with the pearl earring, lacking eyes, on a piece of cardboard, gazing from a carton of an Ikea Billy shelf (Billy is the best selling shelf of the world), the runny black color – a crime committed in the studio?

A crime of love and passion. Susanne Husemann isn‘t grasping for the secret of the painter and his women, whatever it may be. She reveals the movement, the gesture, the discourse decided within these 17th century Dutch interiors. The conduct of the lacemaker, the magic of a seated figure, and she shows only the sitting, the imperious silhouet-tes, the delineations of a being, not the person. The eroticism of the vanishing, the grasping of the detail. She paints, once again on Billy cardboard, the candlestick of the Art of Painting, the allegory of the allegory.

If it exists, even if only in Utopia, in Susanne Husemann‘s studies a violent love is experienced that is non-destructive. Space becomes surfaces, figures to symbols. The earthy dark that characterizes Vermeer‘s paintings brightens. Oil on cardboard, and in some cases Susanne Husemann has also painted her Vermeers on canvas. As is often the case, an act of love is a betrayal of the idea of love, and that is the case here as well. A sacrilege that is committed by all directors when they stage a classical text. Susanne Husemann – who has enough theatrical experience under her belt – does not expose the theatrics of the „Vermeerian“ composition, but rather sug-gests it. Her paintings are allusions: they take hold, but do not attack.

It is understandable why Vermeer has inspired films like those with Scarlett Johansson and Isabelle Huppert. Why Marcel Proust was ob-sessed with Vermeer‘s View of Delft. Vermeer‘s paintings, so modest in format, are windows to a world that simultaneously displays and protects its secrets. It is a modern world, it obeys the laws of science, precise measurements, and creates a nameless enchantment. How close humility and arrogance lie to each other – this is the nature of all art that refers to another.

Movement, stillness, focus: for many years, from apartment to apart-ment, from home to home, I kept a calendar reproduction of the Girl with a Pearl Earring with me – I simply couldn‘t imagine a wall wit-hout the picture. And it became even dearer to me when, during an argument, it got damaged by the shattering glass of the picture frame. At the time, when I saw the scars, I thought that the picture had re-gained consciousness, had come to its daily viewer, had left the cage

Signs of wear and tear: Susanne Husemann‘s pictures touch upon narratives. It could be the stories of the women that modeled for Vermeer. It could also be other stories, those whose secrets want to preserve. In a different series, she painted curtains; red theater cur-tains. And one did not look behind them. Perhaps they hide a crime scene, a criminal secret. A suspicion that can also arise when viewing Vermeer‘s interiors via the camera obscura. What does that letter say? Where does the string of pearls come from, and from whom? To whom is the Girl with the Pearl Earring turning, from whom is she turning away?

Susanne Husemann knows that these questions are immaterial. An explanation would wipe away the magic, and it would never be suffi-cient or satisfactory. Vermeer‘s crime scenes remain untouched, the possible acts of violence remaining unpunished. It is this disquiet in the quiet that one must endure. The face without eyes, the incompre-hensibility of the time that passes. And it reveals that no destructive power is sufficient to affect the indestructible. Images of a nameless obsession. These women, this female gesticulation, calm the viewer in a shocking fashion and manner.

German artist’s solo show goes on display Drawn Islamabad Published Apr 19, 2012 ISLAMABAD, April 18:

German artist Susanne Husemann exhibited a collection of paintings featuring unique themes here Wednesday in a press preview at Nomad Art Gallery. The display explored the culture and way of the artist’s living in Europe with a series of works including ‘what is a painting?’ She considers Vermeer (famous painter of Europe) her inspiration, whose art of painting was established as one of the most coveted paintings in western art. The paintings remain opaque through their silence. Within Susanne variations, it is this aspect which is so stirring. The cropped half-face of the girl with the pearl ear-ring, gazing from a carton of an Ikea Billy shelf and the runny black colour reveals the 17th century Dutch interiors.

exhibition opening 2012 Nomad Gallery Islamabad

When old masters come alive By Anil Datta Wednesday, October 31, 2012 When old masters come alive

We all come into this world, live our allotted life span on the earth and then call it a day, in time to be forgotten and recede into oblivion. However, that may not hold good for all of us for there are those among us who through their sublime pursuits leave an indelible imprint on culture and civilization and every now and then they visit us through the enactment of their contribution to things sublime, be it music, art, invention, or what not. It was the same Tuesday evening with an exhibition of paintings by the charming young artist from Germany, Susanne Husemann, themed “Allegory of painting”. Husemann draws her inspiration from the 16th century Dutch painter Jan Ver-meer who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Husemann’s endeavour is a variation on Vermeer’s themes. Fifteen of the works are oil-on-cardboard with sticker and tape, four are oil-on-canvas, and 14 oil-on–wood. All these works displayed at the V.M. Art Gallery speak a lot for her art and her subtle yet fertile imagination. Her style of painting could be classified as near abstract. Even though bordering on abstraction, the faces she sketches, despite being a wee bit foggy, display pro-found emotions and feelings. They mirror the sensitive, profound, and poignant nature of the artist, how she reads deep into human emotions, into the human soul. The paintings are actually based on clips from a movie about Vermeer, Hajo Eu-chting, with variations and improvisation by Susemann. One such work on display is “The girl with the earrings”, a reproduction of the clip from the movie about the master. It is an ideal representation of the clarity of human emotions which is reflected in the eyes of the girl. They are speaking eyes, with all credit going to Husemann’s creativity. The central theme of her art is the home.

Husemann is a lyrical colourist and the subtle yet harmonious manner whereby the colours in her works blend into each other is splendid indeed. The exhibition has been sponsored by the German Consulate-General, Karachi. Addressing guests, Dr Tilo Klinner, the German Consul-General in Karachi, said that this exhibition was part of the German week which was aimed at acquainting the people of Pakistan better with German Culture and implementing cultural coo-peration between the two countries. He said such events were meant to once again make Karachi a vibrant international art centre.

Allegory and art Peerzada Salman — Published Oct 30, 2012 KARACHI, Oct 30: An exhibition of German artist Susanne Husemann’s works titled ‘Allegory of Painting’ opened at the V.M. Art Gallery on Tuesday. The show is part of the ongoing series of German cultural programmes in the city. Since allegory is one of the many tools that poets use to propagate their ideas as painters usually employ symbols for the same purpose, it becomes all the more interesting when an artist tries to put across a point through allegorical interpre-tation. In such an artwork every character or event represents either an idea or a quality. At the V.M. Art Gallery, oil on canvas, oil on cardboard and artworks done on wood series are on display. That’s not where the charm of Ms Husemann’s art lies. It is the remarkable nuggets from everyday, middleclass life that the artist has painted which makes the viewer marvel at her gift. According to her statement, Susanne Husemann is inspired by the 17th century Dutch master Jan Vermeer. It is interesting to note that Vermeer did not enjoy the kind of success he richly deserved in his lifetime. Much like the English poet, John Donne, he was resurrected quite late after his death (19th century). The master’s genius lay in his splendid delineation of middleclass household, particularly the interiors of their houses, and his mystique-laden depiction of the fair sex. ‘The Allegory of Faith’ and ‘Art of Painting’ are Vermeer’s works that experts have categorised as his history paintings. Susanne Husemann remains faithful to the master. Her depiction of such a life-style, coupled with a mysteriousness surrounding the characters, is worth viewing. ‘Allegory of Painting 1’ (oil on canvas) freezes a scene that draws not just a cha-racter in a certain setting but a whole environment signifying the socioeconomic section of society that the subject belongs to. The colours are dusky and shadowy, which enhance the ambience of the view. In one of the ‘Allegory of Painting’ series, she paints a homespun picture. I say picture and not characters because that’s what stands out from the artwork. It is the entirety of allegorical representation that strikes almost at the same time. And the lightness of shades in the background gels well with the theme of the picture. ‘What is a Painting’ (oil on cardboard) draws on the beauty of innocence, among other things. It is special stuff because the colours in the image play second fiddle to the girl’s (subject) expression.

exhibition opening in Rothas Gallery Lahore/ Pakistan 2012

exhibition opening in C Gallery Karachi / Pakistan 2012

exhibition in Rothas Gallery Lahore/ Pakistan 2012

exhibition opening in C Gallery Karachi / Pakistan 2012

German artist explores Vermeer’s classic art through modern lens Our correspondent Thursday, April 19, 2012 Islamabad

Susanne has had exposure to various cultures and has participated in numerous exhibitions in Germany, Poland, Scotland, Italy and the United States. “In my work, I think about home. What is home? It is not chosen but is simply there; as with identity or authenticity, it is not something that I can deliberate. Home is my culture,” the artist articulates in a written statement. Taking a reference from Vermeer, one of the most famous painters in Europe, Susanne embarks upon a journey to explore her own history. “The first step to this Vermeer series was to think about my history. Vermeer is a part of our history of art. But what is in a picture to make them special? And what is the significance of painting?” It is questions like these that the artist has set out to raise and answer through her art.

exhibition in Reilly Gallery Islamabad / Pakistan 2013

Recreating Vermeer, answering the big questions By Our Correspondent Published: April 20, 2012 The work of German artist Susanne Husemann showcased at Nomad.

ISLAMABAD:German born Husemann uses oil on “cardboard” pieces to answer a question that has nagged her for years, “what is a picture?” In her work currently exhibiting at Nomad Gallery, Susanne Husemann has tried to recreate the split second of sereni-ty captured by 17th century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. She strives to question the very notion of defining things, people, places and even situations. Though her work mostly involves recreating classic Vermeer paintings, including “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” or “The Lacemaker”, she paints them with her own perceptions. Striving to identify the exact moment of connection between the master painter and his subject, Husemann’s answers to her actions are simple. “Everyone is always drawn towards the eyes, I wanted to take that away and have people concentrate on something else,” she said.

The use of cardboard as the chosen material is also of course not without reasons– “I want my art to be more approachable.”

While pointing to letters imprinted on the cardboard that can be seen underneath the paint (which is intentional), she says that the letters remind of the fact that everything has a history behind it and a story to tell. Using soft yellows, whites and greens with a light blue grey hue acting as the base for her pieces, she adds a touch of spice with a dash of bright red that blends in easily with the otherwise bold brush strokes. Fifteen smaller pieces, part of the “stills” on wood series are also showcased. The exhibition continues till May 3. Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2012.

exhibition opening in Rothas Gallery Lahore/ Pakistan 2012

allegory of painting acryl on canvas 50x40cm 1/2016

allegory of painting aryl on canvas 40x50cm 5/2016




what is a painting? aryl on canvas 40x50cm 4/2016

allegory of paintingOil on cardboard 20x35 inch 1/2013

what is a painting? III serie

Oil on cardboard 20x35 inch 1/2014

what is a painting? VII serie

oil on cardboard 45x28 inch 1/2012


allegory of paintingOil on cardboard 23x18 inch

2/2012


allegory of painting oil on cardboard 15x26 inch 2/2013

allegory of paintingoil on cardboard 39x40 inch 2/2011

allegory of paintingoil on cardboard 24x49 inch 4/2012



allegory of painting detail

oil on canvas 25x51 inch 3/2013

allegory of painting oil on canvas 59x66 inch 3/2011






allegory of paintingoil on canvas 170x120cm 3/2014

Allegory of Painting how much dust is enough to read

oil on canvas 130x170cm 2015


allegory of painting sketch on wood 1

oil on wood 9.4x11.8 inch 2015









allegory of paintingoil on wood 11.8x 9.4 inch 2/2016



Susanne [email protected] cv

1987-92 university of the arts in Berlin/Germany 1991 school of art in Glasgow 1992 masters degree by Wolfgang Petrick und Georg Baselitz 1992 NaFöG scholarship from the University NaFöG 1994 DAAD scholarship in japan1995 study of philosophy in Tübingen1995/96 study of philosophy in Berlin 2001-11 studio in Berlin 2011-15 studio in Islamabad/Pakistan since 1997 independent work as a painter and perfomer

exhibition selection since 2010 2015 Nomad gallery/Islamabad/Pakistan 2015 K-Salon/Berlin/Germany2014 Nomad gallery/Islamabad/Pakistan2013 O´Reilly/Islamabad/Pakistan2013 K-Salon/Berlin/Germany2012 Ahonggong art space/Mianyang/China2012 Friedrichstrasse200/Berlin/Germany2012 Galerie Rohling/Berlin/Germany 2012 ROHTAS gallery Lahor/Pakistan 2012 Nomad Gallery Islamabad/Pakistan 2012 K-Salon /Berlin 2011 K-Salon /KUNSTHALLE am Hamburger Platz 2010 Forgotten Bar

Weblinks:. Husemanns Homepage www.susannehusemann.com

. Das große Versprechen von Rüdiger Schaperhttp://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/3-lange-nacht-der-opern-und-theater-das-grosse-versprechen/4053766.html

Von Anti bis Meta,Neu-Orientierung der Porträtkunst von Judith Elisabeth Weiss http://www.kunstforum.de/intern/artikel.aspx?a=216101&z=lex&page=

.When old masters come alive By Anil Datta 2012http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-140206-When-old-masters-come-alive

.Wrestling with Vermeer By Sonia Malik 2012http://tribune.com.pk/story/383777/art-exhibition-wrestling-with-vermeer/

.Recreating Vermeer, answering the big questions 2014 http://tribune.com.pk/story/367175/exhibition-recreating-vermeer-answering-the-big- questions/

.German artist explores Vermeer’s classic art through modern lens 2012http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-103759-German-artist-explores-Ver-meers- classic-art-through-modern-lens

.Allegory and art by Peerzada Salman in DAWN 2012http://www.dawn.com/news/760255/allegory-and-art

.Hard-hitting art by Susanne goes on display in THE NEWShttp://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-228029-Hard-hitting-art-by-Susanne-goes-on- display

.www.dawn.com/news/1168325

http://tribune.com.pk/story/662151/disdainful-comfort-german-artist-brings-story-of- oppressed-women-idea-of-home-to-life/

.German artist brings Lost Life to Islamabad pubished 24,2014 in DAWNhttp://www.dawn.com/news/1082294/german-artist-brings-lost-life-to-islamabad

. A foreigner’s perspective: German artist paints Pakistani life in TRIBUNE 2015http://tribune.com.pk/story/850522/a-foreigners-perspective-german-artist-paints-pakistani- life/

. Show brings together European vocabulary and local moods by Jamal Shahid in DAWN 2015

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Allegory of Painting Husemann 2011-16luzie.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/allegory-of-painting-2016-engli… · Allegory of Painting Husemann 2011-16. Raging Tranquility Susanne Husemann‘s

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