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In the late 1980s, Isa Genzken makes a remarkable series of abstract paintings under the title Basic Research. These are similar canvases that are completely dominated by the remarkable use of the paint, which allows Genzken to create topographies that present themselves as close-ups of urban areas or aerial photographs of extra-terrestrial landscapes. The canvases are not only ambiguous in the way they bring together extremes of perception (from micro to macro), but also in the way the paint traces transform the painting into a contemporary sculpture. In Sanguine/Bloedrood, the harrowing simplicity of Basic Research contrasts with her conceptual work, but also with the baroque opulence of Nadia Naveau and Pieter Paul Rubens.

Text: Hans Willemse
Translations: Michael Meert