Imi Knoebel - Porträts

The pictorial art of Imi Knoebel is one of abstract images. His paintings aren’t abstractions. They are no derivation of a seen reality. They are images of an idea, and that is why they are abstract. Everyone knows what a portrait is, but how can you depict the idea ‘portrait’? Which painting should you make to represent an image of the ‘idea’ portrait? The artist’s answer to that question are his paintings entitled ‘Porträt’. The arrangement of three, in colour nuanced vertical rectangulars next to and between two horizontal rectangulars is Knoebel’s formal solution for depicting the notion ‘portrait’.
Hitherto Imi Knoebel has given very little information about his art. The outside world has to do it with the works themselves, and with a few tips (for example in the tittles). When Knoebel wants to safeguard his art as much as possible, it actually means that he wants to give his works as much freedom as possible. It also means that he, as a silent artist, wants to guarantee his paintings absolute freedom of expression. The artist does not allow himself to make statements about his works, out of fear to tie down the expressivity of the work.