Lennart Grau

Lennart Grau, (born 1981, Krefeld ) is a Berlin-based painter whose focal point is the juxtaposition of playfully seductive motifs, predominantly influenced by Rococo aesthetics, with a disarming use of colour and an Impressionist understanding of lighting and spatiality. Intrigued by the decadence evidenced in the tawdry representations of angels, still lifes and epic scenarios, Grau uses them as a starting point for his subversion of shallow glamour.

Utilising Rococo’s ornamental imagery along with glossy contrasts and effects such as tromp l’oeil, Grau moulds them into abstracted blots of colour, resulting in a visual experience that is simultaneously seductive and shifty. This feeling of uncannyness is visible in his painting “Grid Imperium” from 2023. At first glance, the ornate lines and contrasting shades may recall a fresco of cherubs dancing and flourishing in the heavens; however, upon closer inspection, the shapes reveal their abject anonymity, evidencing the disconnect between the representative image and the real.

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