VOLTA VISITS | PAUL SCHRADER | Hamburg, Germany
Join us on VOLTA Visits, a recurring series where we spend studio time with VOLTA exhibiting artists and learn more about their background, process, and projects.
The artist Paul Schrader in his studio home in Hamburg Altona. Foto: David Reineke
Paul Schrader's studio is located in Hamburg’s West, in Altona. Situated between terraced houses and cafés, an idyllic backyard ushers visitors into his studio. At the threshold, one appears to leave the bustling city of Hamburg behind.
We enter the studio through a plant-filled winter garden and stand in a cozy living room surrounded by Paul’s paintings mounted on the walls. Paul’s home studio is on the second floor of a maisonette-style apartment. Canvases are leaning against the wall, a sofa fills the bright room, and an abundance of paint – either in bottles and jars or as time-worn paint splatters on the floor.
Paul creates expressive, abstract paintings. His working process is thoughtful, analytical. After he applies the first layers of paint onto the canvas, he takes a step back. Only when the next step occurs to him will he approach the canvas again and proceed.
His inspiration is based on the synergies between colors. Paul is interested in the aesthetics and emotions that colors convey in their combination. "I don't have a single favorite color," explains Paul. "It's the interplay between colors that I find powerful."
"When a painting is finished, it just clicks."
A continuous examination of the work is key to Paul's working process. The greatest challenge is the idea of the next step: which parts of the painting remain consistent, and which parts will be painted over? With each new step, the works come together as a result of a highly conceptual approach.
Paul's work is characterized by a variety of different painting techniques. Each new painting traces lineage with his previous works, creating a unique series. In some instances, he applies the paint in numerous layers and lets them blend into one another. In other works, he creates opaque areas of color while sweeping the brush across the canvas. The paint appears to spill over the canvas and yet leaves the surface clearly visible.
When Paul isn’t progressing with one piece, he redirects and begins work on another. It takes him about one to two months to fully complete a painting. When a piece is finished – it just clicks.
Paul Schrader came to the artist profession via detours. He has been painting all his life, but when he started studying law, his passion gave way to professional training. It was not until ten years later, when he entered professional life, that he returned to painting. At first, he led a double life as an artist and lawyer, but since 2018 Paul has devoted himself to his painting practice full-time.
Paul Schrader has recently been represented by NN gallery in Cologne, founded in 2021. VOLTA New York is his first solo presentation at an international art fair.
PAUL SCHRADER
Born in Hamburg, Germany
Lives and works in Hamburg, Germany
Recent Exhibitions (selection)
2021 Messe in St. Agnes #3, König Galerie, Berlin
2021 Don’t Follow Your Dreams
2020 Andersen – Schrader – Van Kreuzen, heliumcowboy artspace, Hamburg
2020 Private Gallery, Daniel Libeskind Bau, Berlin
2020 Messe in St. Agnes #2, König Galerie, Berlin
2020 Messe in St. Agnes #1, König Galerie, Berlin