We look now at an exhibition of Constructivist art by German artist Reiner Kallhardt at the German Ambassador's residence here in Beijing. The event is also an occasion for the artist to reunite with some of his former Chinese students in a panel discussion.
It's a rare occasion when the German Ambassador's residence is decked out in abstract paintings. And the artist is none other than Reiner Kallhardt. Known for his Constructivist art, Kallhardt's paintings rely on Concrete Art series permutations. Before his retirement, he has worked as the head of the Munich Art Association and the principal of Art College of Kassel. While many of his paintings are based on variations of the same geometric patterns, colors are used in such a way that creates movement and multi-dimensionality.
"I have a system for the colors. I use the same colors in different situations. One red in one situation, and the painting may be the [neighborhood] of blue, and another in the [neighborhood] of green. This way the painting begins to move, because the distance between the colors are different," Reiner said.
Reiner is not only at the foreground of Constructivist art, for more than 20 years he has been researching the sculptures of the Rent Courtyard Collection. That opened the gateway for artistic exchange between China and Germany in the late 1980s.
Reiner has a long and profound relationship with Chinese art and culture. He introduced the concept of Yin and Yang into his artwork and also mentored more than 30 Chinese students over the years.
Zhou Chunya was Reiner's first Chinese student. According to the "2013 Hurun Art List", the Chengdu-born artist ranked as the highest selling artist in the world. Chunya's apprenticeship with Reiner provided Reiner with an insider's knowledge about the Rent Courtyard Collection, and at the same time opened up the way that Chunya looks at art.
"Reiner really helped change my thinking about art and what art is. He took me to museums all over Germany, and that opened up a whole new world for me at the time," Zhou said.
Reiner's Beijing exhibition comes in the footsteps of the success of his Chengdu exhibition in 2013. The exhibition is being held at the German Embassy in Beijing until June 25th.
