Prof. Jan Kolata (geb. 1949, Immenstadt) is a painter with a nationwide reputation and high exhibition activity. He stands out in his generation with his approach, exploring the interaction of color and space.
Vita and reputation of the artist
Jan Kolata has been a constant on the art scene for decades. His works are continuously presented in museums and art halls. From 1970 to 1977 he studied as a master student at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. He was able to distinguish himself early on and received art scholarships, including a coveted guest studio at the Villa Romana in Florence. Various awards followed. Until his retirement in 2016, Jan Kolata held a professorship for painting at the University of Dortmund. The artist lives and works in Düsseldorf.
What is special about Jan Kolata’s art: strategy and chance, structure and dynamics
In his work process, Jan Kolata works both analytically strategically and with the moment of chance. By layering colors and shapes, the artist creates intense abstract works. However, they are never restless; instead, they clearly reveal structures and create depth effects.
“It’s not the dimensions of a painting that play the decisive role for me, what’s more important is how the space in the paintings develops.” – Jan Kolata
Jan Kolata’s works are independent compositions with a distinctive contemporary aesthetic. The artist succeeds in a virtuoso balancing act: despite all the comprehensible structure in his paintings, the works convey a tremendous dynamism and energy!
Paintings (unique pieces) by Jan Kolata
Jan Kolata’s canvases always lie on the floor during the painting process. The artist deliberately designs the process so that he first applies paint specifically and then lets it run over the canvas. He gives the colors free rein, lets them mix and color noses run through the picture. The color seeks its own place and form on the canvas. Meanwhile, Jan Kolata intervenes again and again, directing and shaping the colors.
In Jan Kolata’s paintings, artistic skill, strategy and intuition are combined with the creative freedom of color, which the artist grants it by letting it work autonomously on the canvas. This results in paintings that tell of a special process between painter and material.
Screen prints (limited editions) by Jan Kolata
The limited editions of Jan Kolata are screen prints on paper. The quality of the screen printing and the paper are excellent, Jan Kolata attaches great importance to this. The colors are brilliant. Kolata’s editions are created in a special process. The artist uses various printing screens through which ink is passed. He uses the screens one after the other in different combinations – sometimes purposefully and strategically, sometimes more randomly and intuitively. The results are idiosyncratic motifs that bear witness to the synthesis of chance and strategy. Jan Kolata’s editions have this approach in common with his unique works.
The paintings are dynamic and at the same time structural: in the works we recognize clear structures and at the same time dynamic or partly amorphous parts. Often we see organic forms and stencil-like color surfaces, which are superimposed and let the lower colors shine through. Sometimes the colors are lighter, sometimes darker, sometimes they are more matte, sometimes they glow. Works emerge that play with color variations and with shapes.
