Artwork Description

Title: Chromatische Kreuze 16 grh/rd1
Artist: Reiner Kallhardt
Date: 2013
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 47.2 x 47.2 in (120 x 120 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Chromatische Kreuze 16 grh/rd1 is a striking large-format oil painting by Reiner Kallhardt, created in 2013. The composition is built upon a meticulously gridded structure of intersecting squares and bars, rendered in a sharply contrasting palette of chromatic green and crimson red tones. The painting’s surface oscillates between crisp solid fields and densely layered linear patterns, offering a sense of depth and optical complexity that reflects Kallhardt’s enduring fascination with color systems and geometric clarity.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Rooted in the tradition of Concrete Art and geometric abstraction, Kallhardt’s work continues the legacy of artists like Max Bill and Josef Albers, yet with a distinctly contemporary vitality. This piece exemplifies his commitment to chromatic investigation and formal symmetry. The “chromatic crosses” (Kreuze) act not only as visual anchors but also as dynamic components in a serial rhythm, evoking modularity and musical structure—frequent conceptual threads in Kallhardt’s oeuvre.

3. Historical Context
Created in 2013, Chromatische Kreuze 16 grh/rd1 emerges from Kallhardt’s mature period, during which he expanded upon earlier systematic approaches to color theory and spatial organization. In the broader art historical context, the work aligns with the post-minimalist revival of serial and analytical abstraction in the early 21st century, as artists and theorists revisited the aesthetic and philosophical legacies of mid-century formalism.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition. The surface is stable, with no visible signs of wear, paint loss, or conservation intervention. The vibrant pigments remain fresh and unfaded, and the canvas is taut and properly stretched.

6. Artistic Significance
This work is a quintessential example of Kallhardt’s intellectual and visual rigor. Its disciplined compositional grid, paired with a bold chromatic scheme, contributes to the artist’s ongoing exploration of visual perception, balance, and modular harmony. Chromatische Kreuze 16 grh/rd1 represents not only a technically masterful execution but also a refined meditation on color and form—qualities that ensure its significance within the artist’s corpus and its appeal to collectors of contemporary abstraction.