Christopher Lehmpfuhl – Licht / Blicke
In Christopher Lehmpfuhl's practice, painting becomes a performative act that includes sight as well as touch, hearing and smell
Christopher Lehmpfuhl carries the tradition of plein-air painting into our present day. As the impressionists did more than 100 years ago, he takes his colours and his canvases and goes where his subject is. In Christopher Lehmpfuhl's practice, painting becomes a performative act that includes sight as well as touch, hearing and smell. His paintings are the result of an intense dialogue with the world through all the impressions that find their way onto the canvas through the painter's eyes, arms, hands and his colours.
Even in times like these, artists do what they always do: they pursue their calling and they work. The quote from Christopher Lehmpfuhl, which we have prefaced our press release with, illustrates that this is no different for a plein-air artist. Social distancing and the restriction to leave the house only in exceptional cases fuel creativity and present a new challenge that the artist is more than willing to face.
Not only the artist, but also the gallerist follows his calling and continues to work. The changes in the world caused by Corona open up new paths.
You will therefore be presented with Christopher Lehmpfuhl’s new works under altered circumstances: oil paintings created during the first days of the shutdown in the empty streets of Berlin, reflecting both the awakening of spring and the unusual calm of the city, as well as watercolours that capture the intimacy of one’s own four walls in small formats. The viewing will take place individually, with focus and in dialogue with the gallery team.
“As a freelance and passionate plein-air painter, I currently paint a lot in my studio or at home. This is the result of the extraordinary situation that we all experience in different ways during the time of Corona. What always came naturally to me is suddenly no longer possible due to limited freedom of movement. But this temporary retreat also brings a state of contemplation, the quality of which I greatly appreciate.”
— Christopher Lehmpfuhl
Christopher Lehmpfuhl carries the tradition of plein-air painting into the present day. Like the Impressionists more than 100 years ago, he takes his colours and canvases and goes where his subject is. In his practice, painting becomes a performative act that involves seeing, touching, hearing, and smelling. His paintings emerge from an intense dialogue with the world, shaped by impressions that pass through the artist’s eyes, arms, hands, and colours onto the canvas.
When the world suddenly comes to a standstill, the artist remains within his own four walls and paints the light from outside illuminating the interior. No longer working with oil, but “travelling light” using watercolours, he discovers a new world inside the home—small treasures and subtleties often overlooked in our driven daily lives.
Christopher Lehmpfuhl, a former master student of Klaus Fußmann at the Berlin University of the Arts, has received numerous awards, including a scholarship from the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts and the GASAG Art Prize Berlin. His works have been shown in institutions, museums, and galleries in Germany and abroad.
Until January 10, 2021, the Würth Museum in Künzelsau hosted the exhibition Christopher Lehmpfuhl. Zwischen Pathos und Pastos.
The exhibition is accompanied by a publication featuring texts by Dr. Hermann Rogger (Museum Rudolf Stolz, South Tyrol), Christopher Lehmpfuhl, Alfred Kornfeld, and Dr. Tilman Treusch, as well as a leporello with eight postcards.
