Karl Karol Chrobok

Karl-Karol Chrobok has been living in Cologne for 30 years. Born in Poland, with a classical education at the Art Academy of Cracow, the versatile painter and installation the artist has developed towards an enthusiastic plain-air painting. “I work rapidly, in oil, without a photo template, gladly directly out in the open as well as in the studio. Layer by layer, old is painted over, erased in wide areas, and parts left at the edges. I understand this approach as a re-enactment of growth and sometimes destruction. Painting is a struggle with time, with productive time at the end of which color stands as a compound on my paintings.” “Chrobok paints his work directly outside in nature, regardless of weather conditions. Whether storm, snow, or sun – he is not a pure fair-weather painter – all weather conditions appeal to him and inspire him to capture his impressions on canvas. In a short time the movement of the trees in the wind, the whipping of the branches in the storm, or the play of light and shadow are skillfully brought onto the canvas by the artist. Chrobok has perfected the fast brushwork. In his paintings, the painted objects do not fade or disappear in the distance. The depth of space is only created by proportions. His fascination for color is decisive in his paintings. How far can one go as a painter to let the color speak without leading it into abstraction? Chrobok has found the solution.” Kirsten Schwarz/ Siegener Museum für Gegenwartskunst 2012.