What would be the ideal place for one of your works of art?
Because my work often comes across as a little harsh, I like to exhibit in a “white cube.” The contrast between the work and the space naturally brings out the art in a special way. It’s simple.
On the other hand, rooms that have a great deal of individuality, history or atmosphere are an exciting challenge. Coloured walls, natural stone or even a sacred space invite installation-based solutions. I have staged a number of such installations in the past. An exhibition space that seems problematic at first glance often offers great narratives.
My seascapes have evolved in that the burlap painting surfaces have holes in them in some places. I'm thinking of giving these paintings to people who have colored walls, ideally. The holes make the wall color part of the work. It's great when something unexpected happens to my work. The paintings can evolve depending on where they find a new home.
Robert Ritter, 2016, seascape, acrylic on canvas, 23 x 21 x 9 cm
If you could only paint with one color, which would it be?
Phthalo blue
What is your favorite tool?
The ballpoint pen. Very direct, very immediate.
Which person, dead or alive, would you like to talk to and what about?
Actually, I should say: "Claude Monet". I have great respect for his life's work and have always been impressed by this perfect combination of color and application of paint. He manages in an incredible way to create something that is beautiful in the best sense of the word, but at the same time is eccentric, sometimes even weird. I would also like to ask other painters like Pia Fries, Paula Modersohn Becker or HRGiger questions. About their lives, their development, their painting. At the same time, I am certain that the admiration I feel for Monet, for example, contains at least one unhealthy facet.
Public figures, people in leadership positions, are worshipped holistically and unconditionally by others. This creates toxic and hierarchical structures in people's minds. On one of my posters, I called Monet, who I look up to, a "fucking dickhead". Does he deserve that?
What music would best describe your art?
I am currently preparing for an exhibition called "dark pop". I like the fact that I don't really appreciate pop music like you hear on the radio. It's more about popular culture and popular music in a broader sense. These aspects have a lot to do with my artistic identity. I could very well imagine a kind of sound collage of which my work is an illustration. From music by punk bands like the Descendents or by Miles Davis and Leonard Cohen. In the works of such musicians I hear melancholy, reflection on the possibilities of art and immediate energy. These are different facets of what moves me when I paint.
Please describe your work of art ¡Viva la luz! in a few words.
Pop.
Robert Ritter, Viva la Luz, 2024, mixed media on paper, 85 x 60 cm
Which art trends inspire your current work?
For me, there is no difference between underground culture and high culture. I can enjoy a concert at the Philharmonie just as much as a concert at Crash Freiburg. The list of trends that inspire me is accordingly chaotic. Segantini meets Frank Frazetta, Paula Modersohn Becker meets metal covers, Fra Angelico meets comics...
How has your style changed over time?
Style is such a strange construct that somehow seems to come from another time. Actually, culturally, politically and scientifically everything seems to have something to do with everything. Style now seems more like a kind of market position. On the one hand, constant repetition naturally creates a kind of skill, on the other hand, routine. I try to become a better and better painter without limiting myself or falling into routines. I am often surprised by where my paintings take me. It is a very lively process within a turbulent cosmos of images with recurring leitmotifs.
Where do you get the strength to create new art?
Art gives me the strength to create everything else.
What question would you have liked us to ask you?
Why do we find it so difficult to debate and listen to each other?
Blog main image: Credits Daniel Beyer
