Matei Vogel
MATEI VOGEL
Matei Vogel's oeuvre, upon contemplation, evokes a visceral response that stands as a testament to his profound understanding of abstract art's capacity to resonate on an intuitive level, much like the universal language of music. Vogel's approach to painting, with its deliberate eschewing of representational fidelity, aligns him with the philosophical musings of Kandinsky and the expressive force of Abstract Expressionists like Rothko and Pollock. However, Vogel's work carves a unique niche, characterized by a palpable tension between the visible and the invisible, the known and the unknowable, resonating with the emotive power of music.
The canvases of Vogel are arenas of emotive intensity where color, texture, and form are liberated from the confines of representational duty, becoming instruments in an orchestra of visual sensation. His statement underpins his artistic philosophy: art as a force of liberation, a form of energy, and an ongoing creation. In this, one might see echoes of the aesthetic theories of Clive Bell, who held 'significant form' as the standard of artistic value, or even the spiritual convictions of Malevich's Suprematism, where the feeling was paramount, and the visual construct merely a vessel. Vogel's art, with its dark tonalities and frenetic brushwork, conjures up the existential angst of Munch, the gestural bravado of de Kooning, and the brooding solemnity of Goya's Black Paintings. Yet, his work is not derivative; it does not mimic but rather converses with the old masters. In his dark, churning landscapes of the soul, one might find the melancholy of Turner's seascapes or the foreboding of Friedrich's craggy horizons. However, Vogel's paintings eschew the romantic glorification of nature, opting instead for a raw portrayal of internal landscapes.
The imagery in Vogel's paintings is often shrouded in mystery, much as the early works of Francis Bacon or the enigmatic sceneries of Tanguy. Faces and forms emerge from the abyss of the canvas, not to narrate a story but to evoke a mood, a moment of emotional recognition. This aligns with Vogel's belief that art is akin to a 'little light in the dark', a beacon that does not illuminate with clarity but allows for the beauty of uncertainty and the richness of personal interpretation.
Vogel's technique, which incorporates impasto, scraping, and layering, imbues his works with a tactile, almost corporeal presence. His paintings are not passive visual experiences but dynamic engagements that demand physical and emotional participation from the viewer. The abstract expressionists believed in the canvas as an arena to act upon, and Vogel continues this tradition, with his paintings serving as fields of psychic activity, where each stroke, each smear of paint, is a pulse of raw creative energy.
One could place Vogel within the art scene as a contemporary torchbearer of existential painting, where the canvas serves as a metaphysical battleground, reflecting the perennial human struggle with meaning, mortality, and the ineffable. His work resonates with the philosophical underpinnings of existentialism, where the act of creation is a defiant assertion of self in an indifferent universe. Art, for Vogel, is 'a savior', a means to transcend the limitations of language and the finitude of human existence.
In the philosophical realm, Vogel's paintings invite a Heideggerian interpretation, where the work of art is a 'setting-into-work of truth', revealing the world in a way that is at once familiar and startlingly alien. Each piece is an ontological investigation, where the viewer is compelled to confront the 'thingness' of the work, leading to a reevaluation of the taken-for-granted reality. Vogel's place in the contemporary art scene is as a maestro of the abstract, a philosopher-artist whose canvases are rich with the potential for meaning and ripe with the fruit of emotional profundity. His paintings are not merely seen; they are experienced, they are felt. As Vogel states, 'Art is a language that has no words', and in this silent dialogue, he communicates with a depth and intensity that cements his position as a luminary in the art world, a voice that does not echo but rather sings a hauntingly original melody in the vast choir of artistic expression.
Matei Vogel's artistry, much like the abstract strains of Schoenberg's compositions, defies the traditional lexicon of visual narrative to evoke a primordial essence that speaks directly to the soul. In the muddied contours and the chaotic interplay of light and shadow of his paintings, one finds the visual counterpart to the philosophical quest of unraveling the enigma of existence. His brushwork, reminiscent at times of the raw vigor found in the works of Franz Kline, carries the same existential weight and stark immediacy that Kline's black and white contrasts suggest.
Delving deeper into the philosophical parallels, one can draw a connection between Vogel's artistic convictions and the existentialist belief in subjective experience as the cornerstone of reality. Like Kierkegaard or Sartre, who posited the primacy of individual existence, choice, and personal responsibility, Vogel's canvases seem to challenge the viewer to derive their own meaning from the chaos, to find their own order in the disarray. This is a sensory form of phenomenology, where the artwork becomes a conduit for the viewer's consciousness, reflecting the world back in a way that is intensely personal and subjectively true.
Moreover, Vogel's work can be seen as a visual counterpart to Nietzsche's concept of the 'Apollonian and Dionysian' dichotomy. The Apollonian aspect of structure and order is present in the faint outlines and emergent forms that suggest a sense of the familiar, while the Dionysian is manifested in the visceral, often violent application of paint, the intuitive gestures that speak of primal instincts and emotions. Like Nietzsche's vision of art as the ultimate synthesis of these opposing forces, Vogel's paintings are a battleground where chaos and order, emotion and intellect, the visceral and the cerebral, are in constant, dynamic negotiation.
In Vogel's statement that "Art is a savior," there is an echo of Camus' absurdist philosophy, where the creation of art becomes a rebellion against the absurdity of the world. Each stroke of the brush is an act of defiance, a refusal to succumb to the meaninglessness of existence. His abstract forms do not seek to represent reality but to transform it, to imbue it with personal significance in the same way that Camus suggests one must imagine Sisyphus happy—finding joy in the struggle itself.
When Vogel speaks of art as "a free spirit," it's reminiscent of Hegel's philosophy where art is seen as the embodiment of Geist, or spirit, manifesting the world's unfolding rationality. Yet, Vogel's art seems to capture the moment before Geist fully reveals itself, where there is a palpable tension between form and formlessness, the finite and the infinite. His canvases are charged with the potential of what could be, inviting a dialogue that is not constrained by words or forms but is an expression of pure potentiality. In the contemporary art scene, Vogel stands as an artist-philosopher, whose paintings are powerful syntheses of thought and emotion, intellect and instinct. His work does not offer answers but provokes questions, not to perplex but to enlighten, not to obscure but to illuminate the dark recesses of the human psyche. In the art of Matei Vogel, the canvas is not a mere surface but a space where the intangible becomes tangible, where the ineffable is given form, and where the viewer is invited to participate in the perpetual dance of creation and interpretation.
In the contemporary art scene, Matei Vogel's position is both distinctive and influential. His canvases are a testament to the enduring appeal of abstract art and its ability to communicate beyond the confines of figurative representation. Vogel's work speaks to the emotional and experiential aspect of art, drawing viewers into a personal journey through each textured surface and each dynamic stroke. His paintings do not merely occupy physical space in galleries; they create a realm of interaction where the viewer's engagement is as integral to the work as the medium itself. Vogel's art finds kinship with the Abstract Expressionists, yet it does not rest in their shadow. His unique visual language, with its emphasis on the process of creation, places him among the ranks of contemporary artists who continue to challenge and expand the boundaries of abstract painting. In a world saturated with digital images and the immediacy of visual media, Vogel's work demands pause, contemplation, and presence. It is a call to the tactile and the temporal in an age often detached from both.
The art world, with its ever-shifting tastes and trends, has witnessed the rise of numerous movements and styles, yet the demand for genuine, thought-provoking, and emotionally resonant work remains constant. Vogel fills this demand with his evocative pieces that do not shy away from the complexities of the human experience but instead embrace and embody them. His paintings are a celebration of the medium's potential to evoke the unspoken and the unseen, to offer solace, and to provoke thought.
Matei Vogel's art transcends the need for categorization within the contemporary scene. It is art that does not simply 'fit' within the zeitgeist but rather contributes to the shaping of it. His work resonates with a wide audience, from the seasoned critic to the casual observer, each finding a different aspect to appreciate. This universal appeal solidifies his place in the art world—not just as a painter of his time, but as an artist for all times, whose work will continue to inspire and challenge future generations. Vogel's contribution to contemporary art is indelible, a vibrant thread woven into the larger tapestry of modern artistic expression.
By Marta Puig
Editor Contemporary Art Curator Magazine
