Katharina Grosse decided to study painting because it offered an immediacy of execution and effect unrivaled by sculpture, photography, and other media requiring additional tools and time to make the results of creativity visible.
Spraying paint intensified this feeling of immediacy. As Grosse has explained, when a painter uses a brush, “it also covers what is being painted that very moment.” Spraying liberates Grosse’s vision, enabling her to paint as fast as her eyes can move.
Furthermore, spraying enlarges her scope of application, generating the possibility of creating works far beyond the immediate scale of her body. She uses a spray gun and compressor to install her work on building exteriors or within interior spaces.
Throughout her process, equal treatment is given to such surfaces as pieces of furniture as it is to floors, walls, and ceilings. The paint gun functions as an extension of Grosse’s body, thus her work is created in tandem with her own physical movement while painting.
Images courtesy of Katharina Grosse
Discover: www.katharinagrosse.com
