Regina Altmann

Artist statement on the series "Children of the Universe", from 2018-2022:
Even though the portrait of a child plays a major role in my paintings, the portrait should not be seen autonomously and isolated as such, but as part of a complex image structure.
The purpose and intention of my painting is not the depictive representation of real figures, rather, I deal pictorially with the different layers of the subconscious in which the...

Artist statement on the series "Children of the Universe", from 2018-2022:
Even though the portrait of a child plays a major role in my paintings, the portrait should not be seen autonomously and isolated as such, but as part of a complex image structure.
The purpose and intention of my painting is not the depictive representation of real figures, rather, I deal pictorially with the different layers of the subconscious in which the figures are interwoven.
Both the narrative and the creative aspects play equally important roles in my paintings. Content, rhythm, colour and form determine my pictorial concept.
The pictorial space does not end at the picture frame. It continues beyond the edge of the picture and merges into an associative space between the viewer and the picture.
By oscillating between the individual formal elements and the overall structure, formal connections of the constructed space- form-cosmos can be broken and connected to a new universe.
In my work I deal with questions of being in the invisible space between inside and outside. In doing so, I paint portraits of children after models, but basically each of the portraits is a kind of self-portrait. It is meant to inspire us to ask new questions about ourselves, what we are, what constitutes us within this world apart from the visible.
In my more recent paintings, I integrate the painted child portrait into a pictorial space of layers and layers of sketch-like drawings that dissolve and can be reassembled into a new world view.
On the one hand, they are important formal elements within the overall composition, on the other hand, they expand the associative space of thought when viewing the portrait with new contexts of interpretation and meaning.

The transparency of the charcoal or brush drawing creates new layers within the painted pictorial space, on which the graphic figures and signs can exist simultaneously alongside the painted portraits.
The overlapping of the individual layers creates new resonance spaces and levels of interpretation for the viewer. The individual figures and formal elements do not remain isolated through the superimposed layers, but they interlock, enter into a relationship with each other and open up a story. This story is not fixed, but depends on the imagination of the viewer. In this way, each figure acquires a special meaning in the viewer's gaze with regard to his or her own self-perception.
Through the use of deliberately simple printmaking techniques (such as styrene printing, printing techniques with wood glue and other materials) I work against the demand for perfection, which was the original aim of printmaking. Not everything in the picture should be planned or controlled. I enjoy using the playful- experimental possibilities of different graphic techniques for more lightness, to free myself from the narrowness of dogmatic constraints and to get a bit closer to my "inner child".
Until 2018, I painted exclusively with oil paint. Due to the longer drying process of the oil paints, an interruption of the painting process was unavoidable, so I currently prefer acrylic painting in combination with mixed media techniques. The technique of acrylic painting allows for a more spontaneous, dynamic work, it frees the figures from rigidity of movement and gives them space to breathe.
Regina Altmann, 2022

My latest series: "Angel babies" 2023 and "Fairy Tales are Real" 2023 . Follow me on Insta and Facebook and on my web.