 Norbert
Strippel ~ I'm a Northern Hessian artist who has concerned himself with computer art for the last 15 years. The central element of my artwork is the illustration of mathematical algorithms, which create a field of tension between chaos, order and aesthetics. The essential trait is the artistic processing, with airbrush-techniques, of structures created on the computer. In this way a unique colouring and individual design becomes possible. These original artworks and the information below are from my project about Goethean science called "The Power of Colour". The complete original information is of course in German, but I'll give you give some gist here about the exhibition, and am appending a brief English reading-list below the images. The Project is my interpretation of the Goethean science, based on the approach of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, author of FAUST, who is most generally known for his poetry and literature around the world. In fact, Goethe himself saw his principle contributions to culture as being in the area of science. He authored many works on science, notably The Metamorphosis of Plants and his Theory of Color. Goethe stressed that one had to start with the actual phenomenon, and that it is impossible to divorce oneself from participation in nature, contrary to the method of contemporary science. As a generalization, it could be said that he was one of the first holistic thinkers, in the modern sense, to emerge in western culture, and his contributions are variously acknowledged. Using his morphological technique, he proved that the intermaxillary bone, known to exist in animals, could also be found in the human skull. At the time, the supposed lack of this bone was considered to be a significant differentiator between man and animals: this at the time just prior to the development of evolutionary thinking along the lines of Darwin. He opposed with might and main the concept of Newton's own theory of color (specifically, the idea of white light being "comprised" of the different wavelengths of colored light), and although his approach is discredited in the context of Newtonian and Quantum physics, the approach and understanding his Theory provides remains of ongoing interest to both artists and some among the more thoughtful scientists. It begins with the classic Aristotlean notion of "cool" and "warm" colors (blues and reds); blues represent a lightening of black, reds a darkening of white. His conception is expressed poetically in the words "colors are the deeds and sufferings of light." His idea of the "Urpflanze" or primal plant was the central theme of his Metamorphosis of Plants; he was a great opponent of the mere categorization of species after the manner of Linneaus, without understanding how the various forms and species developed as metamorphoses of each other. Simplistically stated, he saw all plant forms as transformations of the leaf. His method led him to what is sometimes rendered "the exact percipient fantasy", in other words, a direct perception of a supersensible reality from which a living thing derives its form. Many of the approaches embodied in Goethe's scientific world-view are later found metamorphosed, or in spiritual science. Enjoy it.                      A Short English Language Reading List in Goethean Science:
Some Exhibitions & Events of Norbert Strippel:
Norbert Strippel Zur Aulisburg 1 35114 Haina/Löhlbach Germany wwweb: http://www.Art-by-strippel.de |
re. This cycle explores the deep
inter-relationships between the living cell, embryonic development,
and the cosmos.
