CHRISTIAN FOLIE

04.28.1927 – 08.10.2013

The fire of his colors

Within the broad variety modern art has to offer in South Tyrol, Folie, born in 1927 in Mals and residing in Völs am Schlern from 1955 until his passing, holds a distinctively original spot.

He fostered and developed his innate artistic talent alongside his professional career as municipal clerk. His close friendship to Karl Plattner as well as Willy Valier strengthened his artistic endeavors.
Landscapes and still life aquarelles painted in the resonance of an impressionistic mood were followed by large-sized oil paintings. Later, after the 1990s, he would paint almost exclusively in tempera on canvas.
The determining motives of his artistic expression were landscape and figures - usually an anonymous female head with big and questioning eyes. Folie did not create images, copying his motives from nature, but rather allegories of rudimentary force.
In terms of form Folie, according to himself, would follow German expressionism more and more: solid contrasting colors generously applied ranging from blazing red over deep blue to luminous yellow are employed for the overall effect. He exploited the emotionally-laden characteristics of colors. Figurative elements thus became codes, then were reduced to psychographs to then finally be largely dissolved in an impulsive artistic gesture.
Through such a spontaneous process, Folie moved closer to the action art of abstract expressionism.  The fire of his colors however remains a determining invariable constant of his pictorial vocabulary.

 

May 7, 2017                       Share with a friend