Pavel Hogel – Sounds of Silence...

Vloženo: 24.09. 2024

Prologue

Hallo Darkness, my old friend
I´ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain 
Still remains
Within the sound of silence*

When looking at a work of art, it is, in the first place,the motif, painting style, colour, form and technique that captivate us; the key to perfectly understanding a work of art, however, is the artist. In the current exhibition—OTISKY (IMPRINTS)—Pavel Hogel opens to us the intimate view into his creative universe and draws us nearer to his intellectual world, perception, feelings and ideas. **

L´amour de la nature. The landscape is undoubtedly Hogel´s great love and passion, which inspires him and tempts him to improvise and play with ideas. It is not a display of visual reality, but a picture of an abstract landscape that rises from an intuitive mental process. In a spontaneous panting process, imaginary symbols appear, in the form of dreamt-up and real features coded into the picture form. Where is the origin of Hogel´s deep relationship with the landscape? Unlike figure painting, landscapes inspire him and does not tie him, he feels freer with them. It is just being in nature that is the source of inspiration, freedom and joy for the artist. He intensely feels the gentle signals sent out by the landscape―humming of the sea, peace and quiet on the beach under the midday sun, smell of pine forest and grass, mystical silence in the deep forest. The act of creation is for him an adventurous path and in the beginning he does not know where it leads to.  It is a complex experience which the painter perceives by all senses. This emotional and mood-based ability leads to the connection of the artist with nature. However, he means a “real nature” which has not been raped by humans yet.

Colour is the main bearer of expression and form, intermediary of moods, feelings and muse. It seems that in his latest pictures the painter desists from the former shining palette of rich colours―red, orange, yellow and ochre―reminding the hot touches of midday sun and the gold of fields with ripening corn (see Barevné tóny Pavla Hogela). The red colour gains in intensity, seizes the whole space as a vital alarming explosion (Žhavé pole/Ardent Field, Doteky léta/Touches of the Summer, Letní náměstí/Summer Square, Půlnoční žár/Midnight Heat).
In the artist´s latest works prevails monochromatic painting with pervading shades of green and blue, which contrast with black. The passionate priestess becomes mysterious goddess here. Behind the splendid tones of green hide mystic landscapes, towns or temples, symbolically defined by half real forms in black (Skalní město/Rock Town). Colour―the mystic goddess―evokes curiosity and plenty of questions in us: What is hiding behind these spaces?Is it reality or even a new dimension? Jarní vítr/Spring Windsuggests immaculate greenness of grass and young leaves, the nature is in danger as well (Propast/Abyss). Where doesViaduktem/Through the Viaductlead and what unknown worlds are found behind it? Is it perhaps a mysterious landscape with Bludnými kameny/Erratic Stones?   
Hogel is a magician of colour, he combines shades of blue colour with black in a magic manner. The real landscape inspires him here as well: cerulean blue resembles a harbour and reflection of blue sky on the sea surface, dark blue and black resemble deep water (Ostrovy/Islands, Přístav/ Harbour). A view of the night landscape and dark blue sky show us endless space, which leads the artist towards metaphysical questions: what is reality and what exists behind the empirically detectible world?;what is the other reality like?, world which is unknown to us, which is not possible to understand using our senses (Sousední dimenze/Neighbouring dimensions)? What is the position of human in such a reality. These are the questions about the meaning of life: does also a spirit exist next to a substance? For Hogel, faith is the answer to these metaphysical questions. The artist believes that something exists above us; however, it is not a God of institutionalised religions created by people, it is abigger power (Pochybnosti v modré/Doubts in blue).

This new monochromatic colourfulness radiates a comprehensive view, acceptance of himself, with his sensational world (Smírčí kameny/Conciliation Stones). Artistically and humanly mature artist leaves the real landscape here and endeavours to cross the border of traditional thinking and knowledge. He deals with various theories (ecological and quantum theory) and asks himself new questions. When creating, it is important for Pavel Hogel to prevent stagnation because he views stagnation asa craft or commerce. Every new picture means anew beginning; repeating himself during creation is unacceptable. “An artist must be free, must follow his own path and should not succumb to the pressure, which exists today on the art market.”

Yet, for an artist, abstraction is not the goal, but a result of a creative, intuitive process, which Hogel compares to composing music. Painting and music are two related worlds for him which provoke certain emotions and thoughts. An art motif is developed and transformed the same way as music is composed. The beauty of painting as well as of music lies in searching. Hogel compares his painting to a jam sessionwith its unrepeatable moments,lending to the works the senseof uniqueness. Melody originates through chords and painting has for him a similar intuitive character. Onthis adventurous road, he gets rid of a rational approach in favour of intuitive thinking. Hogel calls his approach to artpainted tones or colourful music and thinks of the painter František Kupka―one of the first European abstract painters―who struggled for connecting painting with music. (He was a member of Orfist painting movement who promoted abstract painting originating according to rules applied tomusic composition.)This connection is even more intensewith Hogel’sworks as both music and art are an important part of his work. In the 1970s,it was music that he wanted to do professionally. It is an irony that he took up painting seriously only after communists banned him as a musician from performing in public in 1974.

Hogel is not only a painter and musician but also a poet, as well documented by his songster lyrics and also by the names of his paintings which deal with the question of human existence, feeling world and interpersonal relationships (Otisk času/Time Imprint, Pochybnosti v modré/Doubts in Blue, Ztracená vzpomínka/Lost Memory). An artist´s paintings and lyrics convey his poetic-philosophical reflections on problems which everyone has. In poetical ballad Tenkej stín/Thin Shadow he narrates a story about separation of two people,having left painful memories. Hogel does not paint objects but feelings. The painting Naše staré radio/Our Old Radio does not display object, the radio is connected with certain memories.

Colour alchemist and Experimenter. The lightness and freedom, with which he can express his feelings in his paintings, is given by the fact that he has mastered the craft of painting very well. He studied arts at Palacký University Olomouc and his teacher of painting was Ladislav Jalůvka. Jalůvka, being an exceptional teacher and artist, showed him how to master the craft and  brought him close to the basis of composition, techniques, drawing and feeling of colour. Hogel intuitively experiments with techniques. He likes using,besides oil, combined techniques such as pastel and oil or he combines oil with acryl as underpainting. He is fascinated by the demanding techniqueof encaustic paintingwith its deep and pleasant colours resembling enamel. The combination of oil and encaustic painting accents the deep, almost relief, three-dimensional expression, which is underpinned by laying of colours (Kamenné město/Stone town). When using the encaustic, the alchemist Hogel also combines colours, for example powder bronze with wax. This gives the pictures the majestic look known from byzantine icon painting. Hogel experiments not only with techniques but also with topics and compositions. The connection of real and imaginary world in the images of the recent time is achieved by combining painting styles. In mysterious, an unknown abstract space, the signs of real elements appear—a window, stones, a viaduct, islands, a town. However, it is not random connection, the pictures have their strict compositional order.
Imaginary painting of artist-philosopher who built up his individual painting style. Colour magician presents his inner cosmos to us. Nevertheless, he also keeps some of the secrets. Where do the magic tones of green and blue come from? Is it nature or already a new dimension? Hogel´s mystic expressionism is unique

The quality of technical thinking and maturity of creative expression can be seen also in Hogel´s drawings. The artist deals with the questions of human existence and is seeking the answer to how to escape from the labyrinth of anxieties and fear (Obavy/Anxieties, Pod křídly/Under the Wings, Přitažlivost/Attraction, Smíření/Reconciliation). What if the route from the labyrinth is closed (Past/Trap)? Also in his drawings, the artist uses the combined technique—aquarel and pastel or acrylic and pastel. Hisimaginations are abstracted into symbolic areasby using colours. Tender colours of aquarel, such as light grey, gentle yellow and blue, create the stage for the forthcoming drama. Lines and geometric symbols in white make the constructive frame of this play; white as adirector controls and elucidates the composition (Na hraně/On the Edge). The contrast of impulsive, ecstatic strokes of black pastel—the actor—and the almost virgin velvet background —the stage—lend the pictures a touch of drama. Black pastel is the most important player in this expressive play of sacraments. However, it is not aggressive expressionism, the drawings radiate balance and broad-minded view on the world of a mature artist. Abstract forms, a harmonic synthesis of colour and shape make a complex structure of a  system where it all ties together. 

For Hogel, the opposite of the intuitive painting full of unrepeatable experience is design, which with respect to the form and function of the object requires rather rationalist and functionalist thinking. Hogel´s designs for skis, snowboards, bicycles etc., do not reflect absolute functionality and benefits. We also feel in the design certain easiness and playfulness—the handwriting of the painter. In this segment, in contrast to painting, Hogel gets inspired by fashion trends and taste of consumers. Fresh, neon colours and dynamic sgraffitopatterns are characteristic of his designs.

Most artists disagree with classifying their works according to different development stages. Picasso stood against the termdevelopment, he preferred the term change instead because, according to him, “there is no past or future in the art”. *** Also Pavel Hogel inclines to the term change. This exhibition is therefore no retrospective, which would assume some development; it is interbalance.

All exhibited paintings provide the world of feelings of an already mature artist who is dealing with questions of human existence and is at the same time reviewing: IMPRINTS—sounds triumphantly around us, echo of your troubles. Who are we? Where are we? Who did we use to be?” ****  These questions coerce to reminiscence. Pavel Hogel belongs to the generation that experienced totally different political and social systems. From our parents and grand-parents we used to hear authentic reports about war and nationalization after 1948. When we were little, we lived in an era of political nonfreedom and persecution by communists. The “Prague Spring” in 1968 gave us a new hope which was soon destroyed by Russian tanks in August 1968; this occupation meant another twenty years of persecution. After 1989, we experienced new renaissance and joy from life in freedom but also a lot of disappointment with politics and interpersonal relationships. Current time of globalisation brings a plenty of social, ecological and existential insecurities, climatic disasters, wars, refugees and epidemics. We often ask ourselves how we shoulddeal with thisreality. 

In his current works, Hogel deeply thinks of the individual, his relationship towards society, nature and universe. Despite all the fatal experience which Hogel and his generation experienced, he does not dramatize; he critically and from distance shows his memories and experiences and yet thinks of the meaning of life. This distance is justified.  We must realize that,besides dramatic twists and events in political as well as our private lifes, our generation witnessesa radical progress in science and technique. We lived through writing with pencil and pen, transistor radio, first flight into the universe, telephone boxes, first computers, mobile phones, e-mobility and artificial intelligence.
Pavel Hogel is indisputably an exceptional but at the same time very modest artist and humanist. He never endeavoured to become a worshipped star. Hogel is no performance artist or activist who demonstrates for nature and climate in the street. Hogel´s life philosophy is different: he lives with nature and he understands himself as being part of nature and the whole universe. Love and respect for nature and his ability to understand (which is evidenced also by his job as a special education teacher) are two basic principles of his view of life. He does not have to fly to Niagara Falls or climb the Mount Everest to be close to nature. L´amour de la nature: he is happy just walking on the meadow. Such easiness of being, such consonance with nature has been forgotten by many people these days. Hogel is an artistvisionary; effortlessly, he shows us an easy route from consumption, resentment and stupidity to respecting ourselves and nature. 

Vera Kapeller
In: https://www.nextroom.at

* Simon&Garfunkel, Sound of Silence
** This muse arose based on the dialogue with Pavel Hogel, my schoolmate from the Olomouc grammar school. I follow his art creation for several decades and I like talking with him about problems of art, politics, society and the life as such. Pavel is a great friend who can listen and also help as well give advice. I really appreciate that Pavel asked me to analyse his works. I wish Pavel and all of us from the bottom of my heart that his paintings as well his wise and critical intellect and his unforgettable humour would enrich us for many following years.
***Experimente. In: Picasso. Über Kunst. Aus Gesprächen zwischen Picasso und seinen Freunden. Ausgewälht von Daniel Keel. Zürich 1988: S. 32.
**** Text Pavel Hogel

Mag. Dr. Vera Kapeller
Art and culture historian; she deals with history and theory of architecture, building and housing culture and art. After finishing Jiří z Poděbrad Grammar School in Olomouc, she studied art history and ethnography at Charles University in Prague. In 1979 she left for Austria, between 1986 and 1992, she worked as a scientific worker at Institute for Contemporary Ethnography at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, between 1993 and 2015, at Institute for town and village research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Author of publications about architecture, building and housing culture, e.g.:Holzkichen in Böhmen, Mähren und der Slowakei“, Bau- und Wohnkultur im Burgenland, Umfassende Erneuerung der Plattenbausiedlungen in Wien und Bratislava, Aktuelle und zukünftige Wohnbauentwicklung im Grenzgebiet Nordburgenland und Bratislava (ed. And author, together with J. Huemer), „Neue Funktionen für alte Baustrukturen. Wanderausstellung“ (ed. Together with J. Huemer),
and about history of arts: Horký den/Heisser Tag/Hot Day. Back to Europe. Report about an International Painting-Symposium in Moravian Town Sternberk, August 1992, Volkskunst und regionale Baukultur als Inspirationsquelle für die Architektur in Böhmen und Mähren (In: Anita Aigner, Vernakulare Moderne…), Po stopách minulosti v pohraničnej oblasti Severný Burgenland a Bratislava. Vily-Hrady-Zámky“ (together with M. Romako), Kunst und Plattenbausiedlungen in Wien“ (ed. And author).