Thomas Hartmann. In diesem Jahr kacken die Störche anders

21 June to 24 August 2024 ⟶ Galerie

Installation View. Courtesy Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Von der Unmöglichkeit Ordnung zu halten, 2021, Oil on canvas, 160 x 130 cm

SO 36, 1989, Oil on canvas, 140 x 200 cm

Installation View Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

groß – größer, 2024, Mixed media on paper, 40 x 30 cm

Untitled, 2024, Mixed media on paper, 40 x 30 cm

Sein Lieblingsplatz, 2008-2024, Mixed media on paper, 40 x 30 cm

Ohne Titel, 2022, Mixed media on paper, 40 x 29,5 cm

Buchhalter, 2024, Mixed media on paper, 40 x 30 cm

Installation View Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Installation View. Courtesy Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Seitenansicht, 2021, Oil on canvas, 100 x 130 cm. Photo: Ole Hartmann

Vogelperspektive, 2000-2004, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm

Fünf Schwestern, 2011, Oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm

Berlin Frontal, 1988 – 1990, Oil on canvas, 170 x 210 cm

Installation View Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Langer Tisch, 2021, Oil on canvas, 140 x 110 cm

Mann, 2021, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm

Viele Einzelne, 2005 – 2020, Mixed media on paper/canvas, 52 x 100 cm

Das große Ganze, 2024, Oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

Installation View Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Kino von morgen, 2022, Oil on canvas, 150 x 120 cm

Kreuzberg III, 1989, Oil on canvas, 140 x 200 cm

Dreimal Klingeln, 2021, Oil on canvas, 120 x 60 cm

Installation View. Courtesy Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Seemannsgang üben, 2008-2012, Oil on canvas, 45 x 35 cm

Letzter Versuch, 2005, Oil on canvas, 36 x 32 cm

Zwilling, 1997 – 2003, Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm

Hinter der Bühne, 2010, Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm

Frei im Raum, 2022, Oil on canvas, 60 x 50 cm

Bewegte Seiten, 2022, Oil on canvas, 145 x 115 cm

Vorfahre, 2007, Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm

Installation View. Courtesy Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Jeder für sich und alle zusammen, 2024, Oil on canvas, 140 x 120 cm

Sofa, 2021, Oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm

Stadt im Fluß, 1990, Oil on canvas, 140 x 200 cm

Installation View Galerie Georg Nothelfer. Photo: Katrin Rother

Verlorene Liebe, 1993, Oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

Gute Seiten, schlechte Seiten, 2023, Oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

Pinguine wie Du und Ich, 2024, Oil on canvas, 160 x 120 cm

Opening
Friday, June 21, 6 - 9 pm

Special event
Guided Tour through the exhibition and artist talk with Thomas Hartmann.
Saturday, July 13 at 2 pm

Galerie Georg Nothelfer is pleased to present a solo exhibition of works by the Berlin painter Thomas Hartmann (*1950). The show includes works from the 1980s to the present day.

Thomas Hartmann's paintings paradoxically embody both a sense of order and a chaotic liveliness. Known since the 1980s for his expressive, impasto landscapes and cityscapes, his work is characterized by a meticulous attention to detail and an almost obsessive inclusion of numerous small figures and elements. The resulting effect is reminiscent of late Gothic hidden object paintings, inviting the viewer to explore the narrative richness of each individual work. Hartmann's scenes have a timeless quality, as if they dissolve the boundaries between past, present and future. This temporal ambiguity invites us to reconsider our own place in the continuum of time and space.

The works presented at the Galerie Georg Nothelfer reflect Hartmann's continuous development as an artist over four decades. Particularly noteworthy is Hartmann's willingness to constantly question, re-explore and expand the limitations of his own artistic language. One of the most important aspects of his work is the exploration of the relationship between microcosm and macrocosm. The early paintings of the 1980-90s often show vast, almost overwhelming natural and urban landscapes. In the later works, the artist seems to zoom into these tableaux, subjecting them to a close-up. We discover bookshelves, doorbell signs and other absurdities of everyday life. This juxtaposition seems to emphasize the insignificance of the individual in the grand scheme of the world, while at the same time underlining the importance of every small element in creating it. Hartmann's humor is often subtly revealed in his compositions and use of surreal elements.
He infuses his paintings with a playful comparison of objects and figures that almost evoke a sense of whimsy. The works can contain visual puns and clever allusions to art history and life in general, providing irony and wit. Simultaneously, they also are a very personal view of Thomas Hartmann on himself and on modern society. This makes them amusing, but also thought-provoking.

Hartmann's work, which spans decades, inevitably leads to a huge accumulation of ideas, experiments and concepts. If these do not (or no longer) meet the artist's requirements, the only option is to discard them - or destroy them. Conceptually, the act of destruction serves as a liberating blow; the catharsis contains the powerful moment of a new beginning. This almost ritualistic approach is now impressively visible in the gallery spaces. The storage shelf taken over from Hartmann's studio, overflowing with canvases and stretcher frames, becomes an installation sculpture that spans the exhibition space almost like a shrine. It not only forms a bridge between old and new, but also between the past, the present and the future. Once again, we viewers are invited to reflect on our own position in the big picture. (Text: Nicola E. Petek)

Thomas Hartmann