micheal raedecker

Michael Raedecker

shot

1997, Acrylic and Thread on Linen

50 x 70cm

The notion of time is a predominant interest in Michael Raedecker's work. His empty, haunting images are often compared to film. The studied framing of his canvasses suggests immanent drama: they operate like the in-between scenes of a continuous yet illusive narrative. The mystique of Raedecker's work lies in the negative space. In shot, Raedecker painstakingly embroiders the lines defining the scene. Through this time-consuming process, Michael Raedecker doesn't paint the image itself, but rather the space of its suggestion.

Michael Raedecker

deep

1998, Acrylic and Thread on Linen

56 x 76cm

Themes of solitude, tranquillity and emotional isolation run through Michael Raedecker's work. In his paintings, Raedecker conceives nature as an idealised environment, both as a luxurious privilege of escapism and a sinister realm of the foreign. In deep, he paints a fragmented view of a lake. The solid steely blue surface seduces in its rich colour, the texture of ripples is formulated by painting over stitched designs. Michael Raedecker fabricates this scene with attenuate sensitivity to the painting's surface, as if trying to postpone the inevitable thought of what lies beneath.