Helmut Federle: American Songline

The paintings by Helmut Federle (*1944 in Solothurn, Switzerland) elude cursory observation. Opaque, strongly minimal, spiritual, and with a succinct style, they allude to Color Field Painting and Abstract Expressionism while dispensing with narrative. The color palette is for the most part limited to dark umber tones, lightened up by the nuances of chartreuse so characteristic of Federle’s work.This publication focuses on the painter’s lesser-known, more freely rendered small- to medium-format paintings and drawings, which are discussed in a series of critical essays by renowned authors, including Robert Storr, who situates Federle’s oeuvre between traditional European Romanticism and twentieth-century American painting. A personal touch winds through the book in the form of a small selection of poems that have special meaning for the artist. Exhibition schedule: Kunstmuseum Luzern November 3, 2012-February 3, 2013