FULDATAL - Hans Dieter Tylle's "Realismugalierie" in Ihringshausen, which once represented one kind of Realism, but now another, is exhibiting at this time 32 new, more or less abstract, expressive oil paintings by the New York artist Richard Ahntholz. What is essential: there is abstraction from the object, sometimes a long way. Never, however, is this art a formless one.

It is possible to be surprised at the multiplicity of Ahntholz' degrees of his works: in the views of the city, in which pulsating colors combine still in very clear forms; in the landscapes in which the paint is thickly applied, and often completely dissolved in colored surfaces. In the remarkable, large-format nude portraits, which probably show the hand of the master most clearly.

Ahntholz, in his "mixture of impressionism and expressionism", senses the entire color spectrum in the so-called color of the object, which never repeats itself, and reproduces it wth an expressionist brush style. That takes place right on the spot; the moment is precious. To capture the exhilaration, the same object, that bush in Central Park, for example, again and again, each time differently - that is something that one can re-experience out of those pictures. Probably an enormously exciting matter for the painter.

"Green Trees"

Afterwards, for the observer too. That is something that can be tested. Once again, study closely how vividly Ahntholz creates naked corporeality out of glazed colors; then look at any object you like outside. it will be transformed into something new.

Realism Gallery H.D. Tylle,
Auf dem Hasenstock la, Fuldatall-Ihringshausen

Telephone 981 - 2653

Ocean

I would like to share with everybody what it's like to be the wife of an artist - Richard Ahntholz. Richard eats, sleeps, and breathes art. Richard's art, for me, is a perfect balance of technique and emotion. This work conveys the emotional impact and the excitement of color.

When I first met Richard, I was sure he was a football player and, therefore, not very interested him. When I learned he was an artist, the whole picture changed. Both my mother and my aunt were artists, I was raised with a great appreciation of painting.

Richard strives every day to perfect his art. Even though he has painted daily since he was twelve, he is always looking for a new problem to solve and constantly achieving new breakthroughs in his art. Often the process is draining; it requires a high degree of concentration and effort. But at least I know he's not "out on the street" getting into trouble. Seriously, it's very exciting to live with an artist who is always developing.

Richard is in love with color and with nature, and strongly expresses this love in his painting. He has done many series of outdoor paintings, a particular landscape, a lovely old building, the ocean - done over and over, capturing a different set of color, light and mood in each one. He calls this combination of elements "the key of nature". When Richard asked me to marry him, I asked him how I could be sure he'd be faithful and he reminded me that he had been painting the same bush in Central Park for the past twelve years. (I was convinced that he'd be faithful to me if he could be faithful to a plant for twelve years).

For many years, Richard painted a portrait of anyone who entered one of our two homes (in Manhattan and East Hampton, New York). As his wife, I learned that dinner could wait; work on the guest's portrait came first.

Richard does a lot of portrait painting demonstrations, often at the National Academy of Design, where he teaches dazzling the crowd by painting a portrait capturing the sitter's likeness and mood in one hour. He paints the face as one would sculpt it, buliding the planes with shape and color. His expertise in portrait painting carries over to his nudes which also include psychologically penetrating portraits.

Richard studied at the Chicago Art Institute, an extremely prestigious school. He then became the protege of Henry Hensche, who ran the Cape School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and thereby joined a great tradition of American landscape painting and impressionism. Hensche studied with Charles Hawthorne, known for portraits. And Hawthorne had studied with William Merrit Chase, known for landscapes.

Richard's colour theory consists of working with the "big colour" of an object and refining it down to the "true colour". He will paint a still-life of ten apples, breaking each apple down to its exact colour. On the finished canvas, no two apples will be the same. This type of painting is an exercise that demonstrates his extreme sensitivity to colour. He is like a human computer when it comes to colour. He begins a portrait by dividing the face into light and shadow. The shadow is never brown as many see it, and the flesh is never a standard "flesh colour".

Richard has painted all over the world. We have boarded many planes carrying wet paintings, an embarassing situation, one might think, but we have always been treated cordially once the flight attendants see his work. When I bemoan the lack of storage space for his work, he comforts me by saying it is fortunate that he is not primarily a sculptor. Paintings occupy less space than sculptures!

Richard puts the most beautiful part of the colour onto his canvas. Thus, a macadam road is pink in the sunlight. A treetrunk has a luscious violet shadow on it. Dazzling sunlight dissolves the blossoms of a flowering tree to turquoise and violet. A chateau is an elegant violet or a gutsy golden orange. A nude has a yellow ochre stomach and rainbow and rainbow - coloured flesh. A landscape explodes with vibrant colour. A village sparkles blue, yellow, orange and peach in the sunlight. His work becomes a mixture of impressionism and expressionism, the effect of light on colour and its emotional impact.

A great artist shows people how to see. Monet showed us the many variations of colour in nature by painting haystacks forty times in different light. Rembrandt showed us sorrow, pity, and strength of character. Richard believes that artists must see FOR the world. He admires the ancient Greek sculptures who showed us the beauty of the human body. "Look at the Mona Lisa", he tells me, "and see form at its most subtle, most perfect. Look at her hands, the most delicate and finished hands in all of painting".

I look at Richard's work and see the great joy that is produced by his love of nature and colour. I see his technical expertise, honesty and strength. I see sunlight captured on canvas. I see neon in nature.