HANS-JÖRG GLATTFELDER

born 1939, Zurich, Switzerland

Hans-Jörg Glattfelder is a prominent and progressive figure of the contemporary European art scene.

Based on his artistic approach he is a representative of constructivist art, nevertheless Hans-Jörg Glattfelder is looking for his own, very specific expression, which is based on the study of spatial arrangement and its representation on canvas or wall relief.

His artwork also includes results of scientific research from various fields, such as psychology, neuropsychology, cybernetics, mathematics, social sciences, architecture… This creates a multidisciplinary dialogue between science and visual art.

The exhibition in the Závodný Gallery was done by the curator Mr. Hans-Peter Riese, who conceived it for the architectural space of the building. H.-P. Riese is also author of several theoretical texts about Glatfelter’s artwork as well as a long-term friend of his.

After a short study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Hans-Jörg Glattfelder settled in Florence / 1963-69 /. The works of this early period are characterized by the search for connections between the strict line of Zurich constructivism, the system of early Renaissance Italian architecture, where the fundamental element is a straight line, and the influences of contemporary architecture, represented e.g. by Milorad Pantovič, who in the 1930s collaborated with Le Corbusier in Paris. Among some well-known series are for example, the Anamorphosys cycle and Pantovič's reliefs.

In the 1970s, H. J. Glattfelder moved to Milan. There he was in a contact with M. Ballocc, A. Calderara, G. Colomb and L. Veronesi. These encounters have helped him to consolidate his own path, based on intellectual approach as well as study of industrial production /Pyramid relief series/ and encouraged him to study geometry and spatial presentation. These influences have been visible since 1977 in the works which he himself calls non-Euclidean metaphors.

Another important milestone in the work of H. J. Glattfelder was the encounter with the philosopher H. H. Holz, mediated by the Swiss artist R. P. Lohs in 1977. The initial meeting of the philosopher and the artist turned into a long-standing mutual dialogue, which was an inspiration for H. J. Glattfelder to address issues related to the relationship between art and science. For the first time the concept of metarationalism is tackled.

In 1987, H. J. Glattfelder was awarded the "Camille Greaser Price" in Zurich, the nomination was supported by E. Gomringer and W. Rotzler. A year later, he moved to Lake Orta, where he worked on his synthetic reliefs characterized by a greater degree of simplification.

In 1998, after a year of scholarship in New York, H. J. Glattfelder moved to Paris. His essays and theoretical articles were often published in professional media.

In the recent works of H.-J. Glattfelder it is possible to observe geometric objects or their distributed surfaces, which, however, confuse the viewer with their specific spatiality, perspective and irregular shape. These works become a kind of symbolic representative marks of this contemplative artist.

The works of H.-J. Glattfelder are part of many institutional and private collections. In 2015 a monography Was der Fall ist / That is the case was published on the occasion of the exhibition at the Museu Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich with texts by S. Schaschl, J.J. Holz, E. Gomringer, H.-P. Riese, M. Filoni, S. Geiger.