Charline von Heyl talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Von Heyl, born in 1960 in Mainz, Germany, is one of the most original painters working today. Her art deliberately defies description. Evading orthodox definitions like abstract or figurative, she attempts to reach a space in which the viewer is emotionally and intellectually engaged to the extent that such terms are meaningless—a place, she has said, “where thoughts and feelings meet”.
Charline von Heyl, Poetry Machine #1, 2018 Photo: Jason Mandella. Courtesy the artist and Petzel, New York
Her canvases are complex, with multiple layers of forms applied with apparently contradictory languages, from intricately applied patterns and hard-edges to free-flowing painterly passages. The images she paints are similarly disparate, with identifiable shapes alongside loose, lyrical, inchoate forms. And while some patterns, motifs, techniques, colour relationships and structures might repeat—particularly among discrete clusters of paintings—Von Heyl resists having a signature style. She keeps herself—and us, as viewers—guessing. Her paintings are the opposite of one-liners, instead revealing more the longer they are absorbed. While she is entirely individual in her language, Von Heyl is one of a number of artists internationally who are testing the possibilities of painting in the 21st century.
She discusses the balance of chance and choice at the heart of her work, how she tunes herself “into a certain vibe” while painting, the different “speeds” at which she works, and the “contamination”, more than influence, of other artists. She reflects on her early transformative encounter with the work of German painter Wols, being taught by Jörg Immendorf, her fascination with Le Corbusier’s paintings and how Emily Dickinson and Peter Handke’s writings have affected her work. Plus she gives insight into her studio life and answers our usual questions, including the ultimate: what is art for?
Charline von Heyl, Poetry Machine #3, 2018 Photo: Jason Mandella. Courtesy the artist and Petzel, New York
This podcast is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, the arts and culture app.
The free app offers access to a vast range of international cultural organisations through a single download, with new guides being added regularly. They include numerous museums and galleries in the US that have shown and collected Charline von Heyl’s work, from the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Kitchen in New York, to the ICA in Boston and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Download Bloomberg Connects and you will see that the guide to the Walker Art Center has information on the displays of its permanent collection in the museum and in the Minneapolis Sculpture Park. It also has an in-depth feature on the Walker’s current exhibition, Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody, with audio content in which artists respond with unique insight to key works in the exhibition.