Galerie Fenna Wehlau - Dieter KRÄNZLEINDieter Kränzlein's stone sculptures are simple and powerful. Today's world is marked by the far-reaching effects of digitalization on almost all areas of life, in which human perception functions only in real time, in a fast-paced society characterized by a lack of concentration and an inability to reflect.
Sculptor Dieter Kränzlein practices an art that, figuratively speaking, is as old as the mountains. In the Stone Age, the earliest epoch in human history, tools were made of stone, i.e. flints. Even in ancient times, outstanding works of art were created, such as the 11cm tall limestone sculpture "Venus of Willendorf" from the early Paleolithic Age (about 40,000 BC). The Stone Age evolved into the Iron Age, which was followed by the Bronze Age, and so on. For eons, man has continued to incorporate new materials and techniques. And so, in the age of the 3D printer, traditional stone sculpting may seem anachronistic at first: Why spend days, weeks or even months chiseling away at a block of stone, putting up with sweat, dust and noise, when a three-dimensional form, designed by a computer, can be created at the click of a mouse? The confrontation with such hard material creates a connection that is also natural for the viewer.
Stone sculpting requires craftsmanship, perseverance and concentration. Indeed, working on a stone requires time and patience. In this respect, Dieter Kränzlein acts anticyclically to the ever-increasing speed of life. Under his guiding hand, timeless forms emerge that captivate with their unpretentious simplicity. Dematerialization of stone Dieter Kränzlein has worked primarily with Norwegian marble and mossy limestone, from which he has carved free-standing sculptures and wall reliefs. His artworks are characterized by extreme reduction and clarity of form. The geometric angularity of earlier works has increasingly given way to softer and more rounded forms. His concise, meditative formal language is finely tuned to the dynamic surface design of his works - which the artist daringly models with an angle grinder. Incisions on the outside of the stone serve only to enliven and dissolve the impression of static or weighty density. Thus, the lines in Kränzlein's honed drawing give the stone rhythm and movement. His hatchings create both regular and irregular grid patterns-filigree textures that seem borrowed from nature. Both the artistic signature and the material property merge to create the final expression of each work.
As the artist notes, each type of rock has its own characteristics: marble is crystalline and its tiny cleavage surfaces reflect light when played in the sun, while limestone, with its ferruginous inclusions, is fragile and porous. The rock texture inherent in several works is accentuated by a monochromatic color scheme. Through alienation effects, color applications are used that are completely alien to the stone - virtually breaking a taboo. Painted sculptures, as they are common in wood sculpture, are rare in contemporary, mainly non-figurative stone sculpture. Dieter Kränzlein not only gives his sculptures a coat of paint, but literally drenches them with color, i.e., he allows the paint to penetrate the surface. Until now, Kränzlein has mainly used achromatic shades of gray and black. Now, with the use of red, yellow, green, and blue paint, the unadorned natural exuberance of his work is tempered. Nevertheless, as monochrome reductions suspended in space, they continue to provide a symbolic quality whose presence is given additional substance by being offset by the weight of the object. The progressive dematerialization of his stone is also supported by a novel working method: Kränzlein casts inverted forms from his original stone sculptures using a negative mold, which is poured with synthetic resin at the end. His resin casts are not only light, but also slightly translucent. It is the sensuality of the surface, although the artist's reduced, symbolic colors and shapes are apparent from a distance, the feel of the surface can only be comprehended up close. Up close, the viewer not only recognizes the (analog) aura of the unique, but also senses the time inherent in the stone - which has nothing to do with the stone's enormous age, but with the countless days and weeks that went into its creation, and the artist's self-sacrificing dedication to transforming the stone into a work of art.
Dieter Kränzlein knows how to penetrate the essence of the stone and extract its meaning. His work has a quiet, calming aura. He brings the viewer into the here and now, especially because his art appeals so much to our sense of touch. Because the digital world is primarily focused on the visual and auditory senses, the tactile sensuality and literal grasp of our world has been largely lost in our everyday lives. The legacy of the artist, who lives in Bietigheim-Bissingen, includes not only three-dimensional, free-standing sculptures and relief-like wall objects, but also printed monotypes that he pulls directly from the worked stone. Binder and pigment, mixed with stone dust, track the eroding stone and more, its eventual disappearance. Although each print is unique, Kränzlein's monotypes are typically created in series. Whether monotypes or sculptural creations, the sensual nature of the sculptural material proclaims its own existence without distracting from the other temporal dimensions in his work.
Lucia Angela Cavegn
Dieter Kränzlein | |
1962 | born in Stuttgart |
1982-85 | apprenticeship as a stone sculptor |
1985-89 | student of Franz Dakáy |
Seit 89 | working freelance in Bietigheim-Bissingen |
solo exhibitions (selection) | |
| 2023 | Patrizia Kränzlein und Dieter Kränzlein – Farbe – Stein – Papier, Städtische Galerie Bietigheim-Bissingen |
2020 | Wie weiß ist das grün der steinernen Rose, Galerie Fenna Wehlau, München |
2019 | ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, Schweiz |
2018 | Galerie Netuschil, Darmstadt |
| Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart |
2017 | Anhaltischer Kunstverein, Dessau |
| Moritzkirche, Naumburg a. d. Saale |
| Espace Jean-Marie-Poirier, Sucy-en-Brie, FR |
2016 | JanKossen Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, USA |
| Galerie an der Pinakothek der Moderne, Barbara Ruetz, München |
2015 | ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2014 | arthea, Galerie am Rosengarten Dorothea Gänzler, Mannheim |
2013 | KNOLL.art, Warthausen |
| GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
2012 | Claus K. Netuschil Galerie, Darmstadt |
| ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Galerie der Stiftung S BC-pro arte, Biberach |
2011 | Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| Galerie an der Pinakothek der Moderne, Barbara Ruetz, München |
2010 | Die Künstlergilde e. V., Esslingen |
| GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
2009 | Galerie Kränzl, Gaienhofen-Horn |
| Claus K. Netuschil Galerie, Darmstadt |
2008 | GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel, CH |
2007 | Galerie Monika Beck, Homburg/Saar-Schwarzenacker |
2006 | Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel, CH |
2005 | GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel, CH |
2003 | Galerie Monika Beck, Homburg/Saar-Schwarzenacker |
2002 | Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
2001 | Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| PNCA, Philip Feldman Gallery, Portland Oregon, USA |
| Kunstzentrum Karlskaserne, Ludwigsburg |
2000 | Installation Kloster Maulbronn, Maulbronn |
| Installation Kloster Alpirsbach |
| Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
exhibition participations (selection) | |
2020 | Art Forum Ute Barth, Zürich, Switzerland |
| Goldwerk Galerie, Roststock |
| Galerie Netuschil, Darmstadt |
| Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart |
2019 | Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, Australia |
| Galerie Netuschil, Darmstadt | |
| Art Forum Ute Barth, Zürich Switzerland | |
| Galerie Fenna Wehlau, München | |
| Mannheimer Kunstverein, Galerientage, Galerie arthea, Mannheim | |
2018 | ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Galerie Bayer, Bietigheim-Bissingen |
| Galerie Kunstbezirk, Stuttgart |
| „Neue Gruppe“, Halle 50, DomagkAteliers GmbH, München |
| JanKossen Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, USA |
| „Neue Gruppe“, Landkreisgalerie, Passau |
| Landratsamt Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg |
| Galerie LS LandskronSchneidzik, Nürnberg |
2017 | ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart |
| Gallery Artpark, Karlsruhe |
| Kunsthaus Klüber, Weinheim |
| JanKossen Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, USA |
| Nuovi Orizzonti, Venedig, IT |
2016 | Claus K. Netuschil Galerie, Darmstadt |
| Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, AUS |
| Gallery Artpark, Karlsruhe |
| ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2015 | Städtische Galerie im Kornhaus, Kirchheim unterTeck |
| Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| Galerie LS LandskronSchneidzik, Nürnberg |
| Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, AUS |
| ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Villa Najork, Galerie LS LandskronSchneidzik, Leipzig |
2014 | Städtische Galerie, Bietigheim-Bissingen |
| Regierungspräsidium Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe |
| Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Hong Kong, CHN |
| Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Köln |
| Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, AUS |
| ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| arthea, Galerie am Rosengarten Dorothea Gänzler, Mannheim |
| Claus K. Netuschil Galerie, Darmstadt |
2013 | ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| GAM Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Die Künstlergilde Esslingen, Esslingen |
| „Wintergroupshow“, ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2012 | Claus K. Netuschil Galerie, Darmstadt |
| „Wundertüte“, Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Kleinskulpturenbiennale, Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
2011 | Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Galleria Kröger, Ascona, CH |
| ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Tobias Mayer-Bildhauersymposium, Marbach am Neckar |
2010 | Kleinskulpturen-Biennale, Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Stadtgalerie Bamberg, Bamberg |
2009 | Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg |
| Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
2008 | Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel, CH |
2007 | Regierungspräsidium, Karlsruhe |
| Neues Schloss, Stuttgart |
| Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel, CH |
2006 | Städtische Galerie, Bietigheim-Bissingen |
| „Neckarkunst“, internationales Kunstprojekt |
| Skulpturengarten Sürth, Köln |
| Kunsthalle Kempten, Kempten |
| Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
| Claus K. Netuschil Galerie, Darmstadt |
2005 | Galerie der Stadt Herrenberg, Herrenberg |
| „Kunstprojekt zum Schillerjahr“, Ludwigsburg |
| Skulpturenbiennale, Elsass, FR |
| Rathaus, Stuttgart |
2004 | Künstlerhaus, Ulm |
| Diözesanmuseum, Rottenburg |
| Kleinskulpturen-Biennale, Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
2003 | Bildhauer-Symposium, Marbach am Neckar |
2002 | Skulpturenweg Eigenart, Baden-Württemberg |
| Skulpturenbiennale, Elsass, FR |
| Kleinskulpturen-Biennale, Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
2001 | Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
2000 | Kleinskulpturen-Biennale, Galerie Dorn, Stuttgart |
art fairs | |
2020 | art Karlsruhe, Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart |
2019 | art Karlsruhe (One-Artist-Show mit Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart) |
| The Sydney Fair, Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, (Australia) | |
| Positions, München, Galerie Fenna Wehlau | |
| AAF Stockholm, Gallery 40 NL, Niederlande | |
| AAF Amsterdam, Gallery 40 NL, Niederlande | |
| AAF Hamburg, Gallery 40 NL, Niederlande | |
2018 | artKarlsruhe, (One-Artist-Show mit Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart) |
2017 | artKarlsruhe, (One-Artist-Show mit Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart) |
| ART ASPEN, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, Colorado, USA |
| CONTEXT ART MIAMI, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, USA |
2016 | art Karlsruhe, Kunsthaus Fischer, Stuttgart |
| Art PARIS, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, USA |
| ART NEW YORK, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, USA |
| SCOPE BASEL, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, Basel, CH |
| Art Bodensee, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, Dornbirn, AT |
2015 | art Karlsruhe, Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Conny Dietzschold Gallery, AUS |
| Kunst Zürich 15, ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| CONTEXT ART MIAMI, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, USA |
| SCOPE MIAMI, Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, USA |
2014 | art Karlsruhe, (One-Artist-Show), arthea Galerie am Rosengarten, Mannheim |
| Melbourne Artfair, Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, AUS |
| Kunst Zürich 14, ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2013 | artKarlsruhe, Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Kunst Zürich 13, Galerie Obrist, Essen mit ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2012 | art Karlsruhe, Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Kunst Zürich 12, Obrist-Galerie, Essen mit ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
| Art Miami Contemporary and Modern Art Fair, USA mit ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2011 | art Karlsruhe (One-Artist Show mit GAM), Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Selection artfair, Basel, CH |
| Kunst Zürich 11, ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2010 | art Karlsruhe (One-Artist Show), Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Selection artfair, Basel, CH |
| art bodensee (One-Artist Show), Dornbirn |
| art London, ENG |
| Kunst Zürich 10, ART FORUM UTE BARTH, Zürich, CH |
2009 | artKarlsruhe (One-Artist Show), Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| KunstZuerich, Zürich, CH |
2008 | artKarlsruhe (One-Artist Show), Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Kunst Zuerich, Zürich, CH |
| TIAF, Toronto, CAN |
2007 | art Karlsruhe (One-Artist Show), Galerie Obrist, Essen |
| Kunst Zuerich, Zürich, CH |
| TIAF, Toronto, CAN |
| Liste Köln (One-Artist-Show), Köln |
2006 | art Karlsruhe, Galerie Obrist, Essen |
2005 | art Karlsruhe, Galerie Obrist, Essen |
2004 | art Karlsruhe, Galerie Obrist, Essen |
2001 | art Frankfurt, Frankfurt |
Memberships
Künstlerverband Neue Gruppe e.V. Haus der Kunst, München
Verband Bildender Künstler Baden-Württemberg e.V., Stuttgart
Bund freischaffender Bildhauer Baden-Württemberg e.V.
represented in public and private collections (selection) | |
Sammlung Stadt Overlandpark, USA | |
Sammlung Gordon Gilkey im Portland Museum of Art, Oregon, USA | |
Sammlung Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart | |
Städtische Galerie Bietigheim-Bissingen | |
Sammlung Stadt Herrenberg | |
Landkreis Böblingen | |
Landkreis Ludwigsburg | |
Kunstsammlung Regierungspräsidium, Stuttgart | |
Kunstsammlung der Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg | |
Kunstsammlungen der Volksbanken Herrenberg und Ludwigsburg | |
Stadt Marbach | |
Sammlung Biedermann, Museum Biedermann, Donaueschingen | |
Sammlung Schoess, Bochum | |
Sammlung Stadt Kusatsu, JPN | |
Sammlung Stiftung bc pro arte, Biberach | |
Publikationen (Auswahl) | |
„Skulpturen in Filderstadt“ 1990, Alfred M.W. Schürmann | |
„Idee – Werk“ 1994, Die Künstlergilde, Esslingen | |
„Skulptur“ 1996, Bund freischaffender Bildhauer Baden-Württemberg | |
„Kultur Saarland“ Fernsehsendung zur Ausstellung in der Galerie Monika Beck | |
Homburg Saar, 06/1998 | |
„Foyer“ Kulturvielfalt im Ruhrgebiet, Ausgabe 11/99, S. 31 | |
„k + m Magazin“, Ausgabe 2/99, S. 72/73 | |
„Eigensinnlich“, Filmdokumentation über die Entstehung von Farbplastiken 1999 | |
„Gallery Exhibitions“ Ausstellungsführer der Stadt Portland (Oregon), USA Ausgabe 09/01, S. 11 | |
„art.communication.structure“ Katalog zur Ausstellungsreihe Essen-Ludwigsburg-Portland, (Oregon) USA 2001 | |
„eigenART“ Katalog Kunst und Natur am Venusberg, 2002 | |
„Heilige Kunst, Lebensspuren“ Katalog S. 94/95, 2004 | |
„Wie Kunst Widerstand wird – Stationen – Gedankenformen Entwicklungs-prozesse“,von Jörg Palitzsch in: „LogBuch“, Peter Valentin Verlag Ludwigsburg, 2004, S. 36–41, ISBN 3-932290-41-0 | |
„Dieter Kränzlein – Skulpturen und Wandarbeiten“ ISBN 978-3-939825-91-3, 2008 | |
„Jerg Ratgeb Pfad Herrenberg“ 2012 | |
„Dieter Kränzlein“,von Manfred Bornemann in: Tobias-Mayer-Jahr Schriftenreihe des Tobias-Mayer-Vereins e.V., hrsg. vom Prof. Dr. Armin Hüttermann, Band 1, 2012, S. 12–13 | |
„SKULPTOURA“ Katalog S. 92/93, 2014 | |
„Kunstspuren hüben/drüben“ Sammlung Reinhard Besserer, 2015 | |
„Dieter Kränzlein“, 2015, ISBN – 13 978-3-9522855-8-9 | |
„Künstlerverband Neue Gruppe – 70 Jahre – 1946-2016“ S. 49, 2016 |
Dieter Kränzlein's art possesses a highly developed individuality. The stringency of his formulations is exceptional. The renunciation of everything artistic and sensational is conspicuous. Form, line and color are clearly employed. Icons are like that. The insight his works convey is that of a no-frills clarity. The Suprematists had that, the Constructivists, the Bauhaus, the Conceptualists.... Compared to them, Kränzlein moves in an ideology-free space. The ideologies have outlived themselves.
shell limestone, partially colored · per 14 x 14 cm
Muschelkalk schwarz gefärbt · 340 x 120 x 120 cm
