The Austrian artist Fritz Ruprechter develops a special technique for his works. He applies watercolor and industrial paint varnish on wood, paper or cardboard, retouching them with wax – he creates lines with a pen, a pencil or by folding the support material. Impressive accuracy leaves nothing to chance. Despite a disposition of lines that are never in parallel, there is no sense of disorder. On the contrary, it represents the harmonious coexistence of a multitude of directions.
These lines are used to create surfaces or to separate them. They are the main element of his work process.

Fritz Ruprechter’s tableaus and drawings are abstract, minimalist in their design and coloring, creating a meditative and comforting effect. “A Conception for introspection” writes the Austrian art historian Florian Steininger about Ruprechters’ work, that he also appropriately names the paintings of inner peace. His work is often defined as abstract, however, the artist understands it in a concrete way, as he creates quite “concrete” objects that are not made abstract by nature.

Due to the folds, the paintings break with the classical perimeters – the rectangle, the square, the circle – and create new forms each time. The folds take on effects of light and shadow as well as shades of colors across the angles. The artist tries to “get out of the frame”. The spectator does not have the impression that it is a tableau hanged on the wall – despite the flat parts –, but rather a tridimensional object.
Transparency adds to the play of lights and shadows and is an essential element in Ruprechter’s work, which he experimented intensely.

In addition to the paintings and folded drawings, the artist shows photographs that take on the motif of the line: two lines traced by raindrops and lines that draw a water jet. His works seduce by their soft watercolors. They exude serenity and invite to contemplation. Everything is blurred by a diffused light; everything is an allusion to the landscapes of the Chinese washes.
For a long time, the artist has been interested in Buddhism, and we can affirm that this spirituality is reflected in his work.

Biographie

Fritz Ruprechter has participated in numerous exhibitions in Europe, Latin America and Japan. He lives and works in Maria Lanzendorf near Vienna, Austria.
The exhibition at Le Cube – independent art room is the first presentation of his work in Morocco and on the African continent and comes as a result of his residency at Le Cube – independent art room.

Documentation
• Leaflet of the exhibition
• Exhibition plan
• Text by Susanne Angerholzer