yvonne robert
The often bright and gestural paintings of Yvonne Robert result from an intuitive approach to color and composition. Her spontaneity of conception and dynamic gesture is void of complex references and their associated meanings. Instead she is steadfast in her commitment to universal concepts of form, mass, proportion, rhythm and structure, which constitute a common thread in her work. Above all, she is motivated by color, and her use of it is practiced and studied.
Art, other artists and her environment are all constant sources of inspiration. Robert grew up in a family of artists and found home-life aesthetically stimulating and informative. She remembers her parents often discussing the notions of color and form, and she was fascinated by the patterns and motifs of the 1960’s that filled her home.
These early influences perhaps motivated Robert to pursue a career initially in graphic design and subsequently in fine art, the origins of which certain motifs in her current work couldpossibly be traced. Importantly, however, when Robert observes her environment, she perceivescolor first and foremost – a person’s hair in combination with the color of their skin and theirscarf, an old bike that someone has painted in a creamy light grey with a new brown leatherseat; sheep in the pastures, the lake, the sky, the mountains; how different the shades of blueare that interplay with each other in the sky, and how endless the combinations seem.
Robert also produces figurative paintings, portraits and still life, but other than the influence of her daily environment, she offers no critical meaning, and they are vastly abstracted. Simply put, Robert is concerned with self-reflecting experience and self-analysis. To interpret her work would be erroneous. Her work is a subject self-defined. It is not the thoughts and emotions ofthe artist that is important, but that of the viewer. Her work does not rely on socio-political rhetoric to lay claims to any form of philosophical discourse. She is concerned with color, form,and composition; and in that order. Her intention is to allow the viewer internal reflection; theirunique perspective. After all, it is our individual perception that gives us clarity and a true sense of understanding. I might consider the sky blue, as do you, but do you and I agree on whether our ‘blue’ is one and the same? Her life experiences and feelings are processed and expressedvia the execution of paint to canvas. She once told me that she “often finds flowers soincredibly beautiful that the experience is indescribable”, and thus, she conveys her exaltation in her painting. In all of her work, her intention is to create a body of work that recharge the energy and give the viewer on their way.
Sascha Gianella 1 July, 2019
Yvonne Robert (*1972) grew up in Germany and has now lived in Zurich for several years.
She has exhibited internationally in New York, Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Paris, Berlin and Zurich. Her work is held in private collections in the US, Spain, UK, France, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
5/2019, Duoshow, Cheryl Hazan Gallery, NYC
4/2019, Collective show, formato14, Madrid
1/2019, Cheryl Hazan Gallery, NYC 11/2018, Solo-show Boilerroom, Luis Adelantado, Valencia
5/2018, Soloshow, Kunstsalon Zürich
publishings include; émergent Magazins issue 03, Oct 2018
Architectural Digest, May 2018Interview Abstract.mag, May 2018
