Gunther Grabe

Painterly locations, whether they are landscapes, residential streets, corners of houses or colourful market stalls, are beautiful, harmoniously balanced and atmospheric. But would it ever occur to us to consider a road sign, a clothes horse or an apartment block balcony to be a painterly location? It is precisely from these banal and everyday objects that Gunther Grabe derives his inspiration. Thus the petrol pump is as likely to be a motif as the iron. Yet Grabe is not simply a chronicler of the everyday, he is a painter who is concerned with perception rather than completeness. He approaches people and dogs, objects and places spontaneously and expertly with an apparently fleeting gaze that is in actual fact keenly observant and an open, swiftly moving brushstroke that captures the essence of the scene without losing itself in details.