Michael Kaphengst
Deutschland
https://michaelkaphengst5.wixsite.com/Linearismus
I firmly believe that is not impossible to evade a linear process. . I process this linearity in my art in different ways of representation ( styles ).
My Style “consumptive surrealism” I put consumer goods in the picture in a surreal way. I think the process of consuming is a linear process that runs through our whole life and all generations.
During all this time I continuously experimented with color and shapes to create my own styles.
In “linearism” i dissolve my motifs into coloured lines.
With “extreme Linearism” I run my pen across the uncontrolled movements. Since the entire sheet is filled with circular lines in this technique this single line becomes a moving dynamic. For my “Fencing picture - absolute linearism” , I design the canvas with a brush attached to the top of a rapier. Picassos statement “Art is a weapon for attack and defence against the enemy`, is confirmed here if you see the canvas as an enemy”.
In this style I create my own physical automatism by the movabillity of the blade with that.
I have to add an interesting thing: when my mother took me out of the children's home, I think I was ten or eleven, we moved to another village called Berumbur, there we lived in a street called ( Linienweg ), which translated is like Line Way. I believe this was not a coincidence.
Rage, 2020
1. What’s your background?
As a young Boy I was inspired by a biography about Salvador Dali which I saw on TV. This started my passion for drawing and painting, and I began experimenting with different styles and media. I began to turn every day waste items such as cigarette boxes into sculptures. In the course of time, I discovered other artists who inspired me, for example Niki de Saint Phalle or Andy Warhol. Niki's shooting pictures influenced me and inspired also using a weapon in my art but to create my own style. As a result, I came up with the idea of using a foil to create my abstract compositions, thus my style "fencing pictures - absolute linearism" was born. Pop Art deals with the representation and alienation of consumer objects. I had the idea to make the consumer objects surreal, because I think that the world of consumption, both the production of goods and the consumption are linear processes from which we can't get away and that leads to the most impossible (surreal) situations in everyday life. My style "consumptive surrealism" was born.
2.What does your work aim to say?
Each painting starts with one brush stroke and every brush stroke is a line.
Even a point is a shortened line or the beginning of a line.
I process this linearity in my paintings. In 1995 I had the idea to dissolve my paintings into strict coloured lines, this strictness and consequence distinguishes me from other artists.
3. How does your work comment on current social or political issues?
I am not a politician; I think politicising art is difficult and personally find social themes more interesting. Whether we like it or not, through socialization, beginning at birth, many life paths are already defined. We are determined and guided by rules, regulations, orders, laws, and educational systems. These are linear processes everyone must deal with, and they are inevitable and unavoidable but still, certain unavoidable ways of life can be interrupted, we leave the given path and follow another road less travelled. The result is a new linear process. It is impossible to escape from a linear process. There is a difference between self-chosen and natural processes. Every person has certain interests and hobbies that they pursue, these are self-chosen processes. Natural processes are processes without which we cannot live, for example, eating, drinking, sleeping, going to the toilet, sexuality.
4.Who are your biggest influences?
I find surrealism very interesting; it gives me a lot of freedom in implementing my "linearism" I can let my thoughts flow. My art is not about perfection I want to create new perspectives, as I don't see myself as a great draughtsman, I am forced to find other ways to express myself.
I think I was ten or eleven, we moved to another village called Berumbur, there we lived in a street called Linienweg, which translated is like Line Way. I believe this was not a coincidence.
5. How has your art evolved over the years?
When I first became interested in art I experimented a lot, not really knowing how important it is to develop one’s own ideas. Copying ideas from other artists or simply imitating them is not what I wanted to do, an artist, I think, must develop his own ideas to distinguish himself from others. While I was naturally inspired by other artists, I wanted to develop my own individual ideas.
6. What does art mean to you?
My childhood plays a big role, I grew up in a children's home where we struggled with material and emotional deprivation. So many things we could not afford, so many needs not met. This developmental process and scarcity accompanied me through my life. Art for me was an escape from everyday life, a way of coping with those experiences.
7. What’s the most valuable piece of art to you?
I can't really say which are the most significant works of art.
I think what inspired me most to develop my "LINEARISM" style, was the work " Consistency of Memory" by Salvador Dali and the dissolution of time “The Soft Clocks”. For me Time is the most linear process there is.
8. What’s next for you in the future? I hope that my ideas will spread further in the art scene.
Furthermore, I hope to receive further awards and of course I would like to do more exhibitions where I can publish and sell a lot more.
Red Castle, 2020.
