Close observation has always been key to Seidel’s working method. Early in his career he started depicting the houses around his family home in Grimma, Germany, going meticulously from street to street while searching for architectural particularities. Today, Seidel’s curiosity has made him into an enthusiastic traveler, keen to visit the scenery he will transform into his work multiple times, and increasingly focused on the contemporary state of affairs rather than what shaped him as a person throughout the past.

Even though all works by Seidel start with observation, they are far from mere depictions. Every shape, no matter if it is a logo or a vast architectural structure, is analytically considered and relieved from its original context before being reconstructed into Seidel’s geometrical painting style. In Die Sonne wackelt, Seidel shows us quasi-familiar sights of Californian culture, results of his latest journeys, while continuing to de- and reconstruct his subjects in order to contemplate and understand them. More atmospheric and inviting than before, the new paintings are less stand-alone, and instead contribute to a broader perspective all together. Executed in traditional egg tempera, the works contain a slightly frosted look that heightens their graphic appeal, while making for a wonderful view of the world through the eyes of Robert Seidel. 

Robert Seidel (1983, Grimma, DE) lives and works in Leipzig, Germany. He studied painting at HGB Leipzig under the mastership of Neo Rauch. In 2013, Seidel took part in the residency programme of De Ateliers, Amsterdam, and was awarded a generous stipend to travel and develop new work as part of the BP Portrait Award in 2018, for which Seidel’s work was also shown during a traveling exhibition throughout the UK. Seidel was part of the group show CRUX in Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle (NL) in 2020. Seidel’s paintings enjoy an enthusiastic following in the Netherlands, Germany, and outside, and are part of numerous renowned private and public collections worldwide.