Bin eine wandelnde
Blumenwiese auf
großen, pechschwarzen
Füßen
Mit jedem Schritt vom
Dunklen her mein
Kleid sich
blühend weitet
Und über die
großen schwarzen Füße
bald nur mehr das
Helle gleitet
Margit Hartnagel
The process of becoming and passing away is immediately apparent in Margit Hartnagel's paintings. The huge drops of paint, applied horizontally, float and run across the canvas, almost sinking into the material. This process of disappearance is halted at very different stages. The colorfulness of the images, the aggressive luminosity of the colors, and perhaps also the placement of the dots vehemently counteract the “submersion” and demonstrate a unique power of existence. The images are apparently in a vibrant state of existence, and their haptic aesthetics are reinforced by the consistently frameless image bodies, the materiality of the painting ground, and the colors.
Reinhard Gassner, Hohenems Spring 2022