COLOGNE.- Imagine stepping into a room where colors don't just sit on a canvas, but hum, whisper, and dance around you, creating a feeling as immersive as a late-night jazz session. That's the sensation awaiting visitors at Rehbein Galerie's new exhibition, "Round Midnight Blue," featuring the latest works by acclaimed artist Peter Tollens.

Now open, the show invites you into a world where blues, pinks, and oranges aren't merely hues, but "states of being," as Tollens himself might suggest. The exhibition title itself is a nod to a jazz legend, Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight," whose soulful, lingering notes resonate through Tollens' layered oils and folded paper pieces. But it's not just music echoing here; art history buffs will recognize the subtle homage to Barnett Newman's profound 1962 painting, also titled "Round Midnight," a dark, almost monochrome work that redefined space with a single, powerful line.

"Tollens isn't just reflecting what's come before; he's carrying the conversation forward, picking up where others left off," explains Elisa Mosch, the curator behind this captivating display. "His paintings are an improvisation with structure, a natural evolution of ideas, and a variation on themes he's been exploring for decades."

Indeed, Tollens' process is less about painting and more about building. Each stroke, each carefully applied layer of paint, feels like a deliberate note in a symphony. The blues shift from deep indigo to vibrant cobalt, while soft pinks and oranges add tender counterpoints, like a surprising, bright chord in a melancholic melody. There's a deliberate patience in his approach, allowing the images to emerge, almost organically, as if they've always existed, waiting to be revealed.

This quiet, yet profound, approach places Tollens firmly within the "Radical Painting" movement, sharing a kinship with artists like Joseph Marioni, who viewed color not as a representation, but as a living event, a feeling, a spirit. "Their works engage in a silent dialogue across decades, across canvases," Mosch notes, "lending a second, deeper layer to the meaning you find in these paintings."

"Round Midnight Blue" showcases Tollens' newest creations from the past three years. Yet, each piece carries the weight and wisdom of his entire artistic journey, stretching back to the 1970s. It's a testament to painting as a continuous state of exploration, a form of thought, and an open, ever-evolving question.

Visitors are encouraged to take their time, to let the colors wash over them, and to listen to the silent conversations unfolding on the canvas. Just like a perfectly improvised jazz piece, Tollens' work invites you to lose yourself in its rhythm and discover something new with every glance.