MUNICH.- The Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen announces several important new accessions to its collection in the area of contemporary painting. Providing the perfect opportunity for an exhibition, the new additions are being presented at »PAINT ON«, an exploration of the expressive qualities of the ‘painterly’ in the 21st century.

The concept of a ‘painterly’ style can be traced back to Swiss art historian Heinrich Wölfflin (1864–1945). In probably his best-known work »Kunstgeschichtliche Grundbegriffe« (Principles of Art History), published about 100 years ago, he makes a clear distinction between painterly and linear painting – or, to put it another way, between Rembrandt and Dürer. Ever since, painterliness has been associated with a strong emphasis on colour and the effects of colour, rather than on line and contour.

»PAINT ON« showcases a selection of artworks that acknowledges the medium of painting’s long tradition but brings a wealth of fresh perspectives and production methods that root it in the present day, reflecting how the conception of the medium has radically expanded over the last 50 years.

Whether we are looking at Jenny Holzer’s (b. 1950) piece consisting of a US Army document on ‘Alternative Interrogation Techniques’ floating on an abstract painted background, or Simone Lanzenstiel (b. 1970), whose work merges traces of a digital aesthetic with an urban patina, the essence of each image can always be linked to painterly aspects.

Not all of the 20 works on exhibit are paintings. In the video piece »M. U. D.« (2000) by Nina Könnemann (b. 1971), for example, we are led into a deserted park whose forlorn atmosphere similarly evokes painterly qualities.