Anton Henning

The work of Anton Henning is characterized by an eclectic use of diverse images, motifs and visual quotes. Abstraction and figuration alternate and sometimes literally overlap each other. Flower still lifes become flamboyant arabesques; interiors are painted in planes of exuberant color; landscapes and nudes have a look of old-fashioned realism and, at the same time, display Henning’s distinct ‘handwriting’ and colorful patterns. Often he paints many versions of an image or allows a certain image to reappear as a ‘painting-within-a-painting’. Henning’s main concern is the pleasure of painting itself. He achieves fascinating results, particularly in the abstract paintings (Interiors), with his compositions of meandering bands of color whirling patterns that have a trompe l’oeil effect. With these vortex patterns, the paintings bring to mind psychedelic ‘seventies’ interiors and give rise to an entirely personal realm of color and movement.