The paintings of Thierry Feuz (born in 1968 in Vienna, Austria) go a long way: from abstraction to imagination, from geometrical composition to biomorph evolution. The spectator will be drawn into a kaleidoscope of artistic viewpoints on the juxtapostion of microworlds and macrovisions. After Charles and Ray Eames' groundbreaking movie "The Powers of 10" the fascination for the boundaries of the world defined by quarks and quasars has been unbroken. Whereas the Eames brothers were working on the borderline of art and science, calling themselves designers, the paintings of Feuz continue the legacy in an approach that fuses science and art in a new way.
Feuz has a philosophy of painting that works with scientific paradigms, both in form and content. He has an individual technique that allows the artist to define the limits of his expression himself, like the scientist who can see only as far as his technology is developed. His is a universal concern, where art, science and philosophy always meet. He addresses the big questions about the reason and structure behind existence. Whereas these intellectual topics have a long religious and academic background, Feuz's style comes with a simple, elegant touch that was unheard-of in this territory. Without metaphoric ballast the paintings are able to develop their own syntax of balance and structure freely, exploring a grammar of colour and shape.
The abstract work of the Technicolor series plays with the precarious equilibrium of layer and tones, the refined technique and subtle execution define the new horizons of a cosmos sought to be discovered. A dynamic spectrum of possibilities evolves from a seemingly static preset, a strong harmonic character of tonality suggests a deeper linkage to the pulsating rhythm of the basso ostinato of the universe. With our personal horizons and the physical universe expanding every second, Feuz's decision to challenge the limitations of the canvas is a logical step.
Their surrealist counterparts are approaching from the other side: bacteria and viruses are inhabiting a biotope of colour and shape, flowers and semen, dandelions and jellyfish celebrating the contradiction of evolution theory and metaphysics. The inherent structure of all entities - the crucial logic of the cycle of life, the beginning, the end. References to genetic experiments and magical mutations suggest an agnostic undertone, on the other hand the calmness, the underlying spirituality imply the agnostic wisdom of an alchemist at work.
Whereas scientists have to use tele- and microscopes to get a different perspective on the world, Thierry Feuz presents the beauty of nature and life in a pure and poetic way. The two techniques complement each other perfectly and form a logical unit, a spiritual whole, a distinct artistic position. Or as the aforementioned Eames put it: "Eventually, everything connects."
Albert Allgaier
