Research: Artist Michael Raedecker

Research: Artist Michael Raedecker

Michael Raedecker (b. 1963)


Background

Raedecker was born in Amsterdam, but now works from his studio in Homerton, East London. Raedecker spent a lot of his childhood exploring the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum where, amongst others, he admired the work of Andy Warhol. He studied fashion in the Netherlands before completing his studies at Goldsmiths College, London. he was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2000.

His work

Raedecker draws on his background in fashion to mix high art materials such as paint, with craft materials, including embroidery and fabric.

In an interview with Karen Wright of the Independent (Wright K. 2016), Raedecker explains how he keeps things lively and interesting:

"I do like the physicality of it, how involved you are with it. As a painter you are a brush length away, with the stitching you are much closer."

A good example Raedecker's approach and how he introduces stitching into his work is the Getaway, 1997. Here, we can see how he has broken down the composition into the barest colour field esentials and then sketched in the details with delicate stitching, where wool stands in for tree bark and fine silk threads trace the patterns of the trees and ripples in the stream where he sketches in the details.

 

 the getaway, 1997, acrylic and thread on linen, Saatchi Gallery

 

A further example is Raedecker's 1998 painting, overnight (below), where pink and green threads have been stitched into the canvas to represent flowers and grass.

 

 

overnight, 1998

 

The Tate website explains Raedecker's philosophy and ways of working by quoting him directly as follows:

 

Working with thread is something that’s become my technique. Using it is sometimes quite elaborate ... I think of it like building ... memory from the recollection of influences from the past, in the present, maybe even building the future. I think if I had embroidered the whole image then I would go too far, it would really be too much like craft or folk art ... there are certain details which are important so they deserve more work and more detail. Others are empty. There are things happening on the surface of the overall image which hopefully make your eye float around the image ... I always try to find different means for how to use thread ... I don’t fill everything in. I leave room for the viewer to step into the image.
(Quoted in Die Young Stay Pretty [p.42].)

 The Tate also points out that Raedecker specifies that the titles of his paintings should be al lower case letters as for him, a title is "just a word" associated with the image rather than a proper name (quoted in an unpunblished conversation with the artist, 16th October, 2002).

 

Raedecker uses a much reduced and subdued palette of greys, greens and browns with splodges of colour for accentuation, often using embroidery thread or wool for colour detail. A lot of the canvas can be left blank. His subject matter may often be lonely, modern day houses, possibly holiday homes or deserted farm houses. Sometimes isolated flowers and plants appear in the foreground. His architectural images use perspective in an obvious way through his strong use of line, while other forms can be sketchy or even abstract. Some examples are shown below. I have included a number of images as I think that by seeing a collection of his paintings together gives a better impression of the key ingredients of his approach.

 

 

monument, 1998

 

 

occluded, 1997, 1998

 

 

scene, 1997

 

 

shot, 1997

 

perspective, 1998



 

 

Raedecker is a big fan of film, and his work is often compared with large American landscapes or spooky settings. He makes good use of shadows to create mystery and  drama, as illustrated in the examples below.

 



 

beam, 2000

 

ins and outs, 2000

 

More recently Raedecker has made engaged with different types of images, such as still life and items and views from everyday life, whilst still maintaining  a muted or monochrome palette. Line and negative space still feature strongly in his work. Some further examples are illustrated below:

 

 

destructive superstition, 2004

 

unfold, 2010

 

 

corrupt, 2009

 

trip, 2006

show, 2010

 

species, 2018

Relevance to my Practice

I have been really inspired by the work of Michael Raedecker. I can learn much from him and I am particularly interested in his approach to:

- subject matter (buildings, everyday objects)
- composition
- tone
- line
- negative space
- colour (minimal, but effective use)
- air of mystery, drama

Putting all these elements together gives me direction in where I want to go with my practice. Over the last few weeks I have been building on my research of Raedecker and made a series of four paintings which builds on my previous work and his ideas.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/michael-raedecker-artist-youre-in-the-studio-every-day-and-you-want-to-keep-things-lively-and-a6895566.html

https://frieze.com/article/michael-raedecker

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/raedecker-overnight-t07515

https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/raedecker_the_getaway.htm

Die Young Stay Pretty, exhibition catalogue, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London 1998

https://www.camdenartscentre.org/whats-on/view/line-up

Accessed 16th May, 2019

https://grimmgallery.com/artists/michael-raedecker/

Accessed 18th May, 2019