Imi Knoebel Selbstaehnlich, 2019

Imi Knoebel often cites the discovery of Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square (1915), which he viewed in Darmstadt, Germany, as a watershed moment which liberated his conception of painting. His minimal compositions rely on a pared down, strict vocabulary of forms combined with a subtle and commanding use of colour, exposing the physical possibilities inherent in the most basic materials, such as plywood, aluminium, and fibreboard. In Selbstaehnlich (2019), Knoebel takes the motif of the shaped canvas to a new level. The use of warm, burnt colours in the three compositions of shapes-within-shapes denotes a joyful, candid visual vocabulary. Once the viewer is drawn in, the painting commands their complete attention, drawing the eye to the richly textured brushwork, displaying subtle variations in tone which enhance the overall aesthetic experience of the painting. Dia Beacon, New York, is currently hosting an exhibition of rarely seen early work by Imi Knoebel.