The Broom Pieces, since 1991

The Broom pieces of Ottmar Hörl are an innovative extension of the monochrome, whose creation goes back to the year 1915. With Kazimir Malevich's Black Square, the abstraction, which begun in Cubism, reached its peak. The first completely monochrome painting (ancient Greek monos = "only" and chroma = "color") became an icon of painting of the 20th century. This style of painting with the goal of maximum concentration and reduction continued with the ultramarine paintings of the French artist Yves Klein in 1955.

Since 1991, Ottmar Hörl has also dealt with the concept of the monochrome: "What has always disturbed me in a monochrome is the lack of depth - [...] on canvas it is only a wafer-thin surface. What I'm interested in is the sensual presence of a monochrome, that it has depth!" In response, the artist created a Broom piece in 1991 for the first time. With these sculptures, Ottmar Hörl wants to investigate whether works of art can be derived from an everyday object such as the broom. He uses them to create three-dimensional images that depict his idea of painting and, above all, represent the first three-dimensional monochrome in the world.

The Broom pieces also include the Salient points. The salient point, the crux of the matter, the deciding factor, the point around which everything revolves is a very philosophical and individual question. The salient point is different for each person and cannot be defined by universal rules. Ottmar Hörl's basic philosophy, which is reflected in his complete works, allows many opinions and does not want to give people a definitive solution, just as he does not believe that "one solution" exists in sculpture and painting.

©Elena Then/Bode Gallery