A R Penck, exhibition review: Disturbing portraits of oppression and fear

This illuminating show shows Penck is a hugely underrated artist, says Ben Luke
Real deal: the roughness about the paintings lends an authenticity to Penck’s voice
Ben Luke10 December 2015

A R Penck grew up and lived for the first 40 years of his life in Dresden. He was five when Allied bombs turned the city into a fireball and then a ruin in 1945, and grew up amid post-apocalyptic rubble in a morally devastated and divided Germany.

Unlike other leading painters born in what became East Germany, like his friend Georg Baselitz who left for the West in the Fifties, Penck’s artistic identity was forged under totalitarian oppression. Unable to show his work in his homeland after 1965, or to attend exhibitions elsewhere, he worked under the radar — even changing his name from Ralf Winkler.

Most works in this illuminating show from the Sixties are so early that they’re signed “Ralf” or “R”. They feature stick figures — a head, limbs and genitals — and simple symbols, simultaneously primeval and ultra-sophisticated, infused with scientific and mathematical theory. The figures are often set against ominous skies and ponder human isolation, oppression and struggle.

In an untitled work from 1966, one figure eats from a tree while another boxed figure defecates, watched from above by one myopic figure and cajoled by another — an Orwellian allegory, perhaps, for an existence where every gesture is observed and controlled. Paintings with groups of figures evoke violence and propaganda; one features figures apparently fleeing from East to West. There’s a roughness about the paintings, made on unevenly shaped board, blankets and hessian, that lends an authenticity to Penck’s voice, as do the playful sculptures, made with aluminium foil, bottles and jars, cardboard and Sellotape. They reflect the development of a unique language and a hugely underrated artist.

Tomorrow until February 20, Michael Werner (020 7495 6855, michaelwerner.com)

Latest exhibition reviews

1/16

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in