Obskure Positionen, tiefe Farben und ehrliche Blicke. Peter Ravns ist ein dänischer Maler mit einem Hang zur Darstellung männlicher Schwäche. Der Prototyp des modernen Mannes bildet den Mittelpunkt seiner Arbeit. Ravns Ölgenmälde sind dabei intime, voyeuristische Einblicke in die Alltagswirklichkeit seiner Motive. Er hinterfragt die Rolle des Mannes, entzieht ihm die Kontrolle und gewährt dadurch Fragilität.
I’m fascinated by the intimate face, which doesn’t express anything other than presence. -PR
Der Däne studierte Architektur und Design an der Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Kopenhagen. Bevor er sein Debüt als Künstler feierte, galt er als zentrale Figur in der dänischen Design- und Musikwelt. Seit den 80er entwirft er u.a. Plattencover und produzierte Musikvideos.
They are uniform in the modern sense, dressed in what appears to be timeless suits and white shirts suggesting something very orderly and controlled, which has then lost it momentarily. To capture these pictures of the modern man’s elegies has been a lead motif for Ravn, since his relatively late debut as a painter in 2000. The modern man reveals himself occasionally, when seemingly unnoticed, in spite of the uniform and discipline. That’s where Ravn strikes. His gaze penetrates the modern man’s public facade and reaches into the private space, hiding behind the immaculate surface of the suit and testifies that the perceived order is just a delusion. That in reality there are people underneath with feelings, instincts, anxiety and aggression, traits which are normally suppressed by mutual consensus. He has a clandestine knowledge of what goes on under the surface and is capable of uncovering it. This exposure of the suffering behind the strict modernity is one of Ravn’s hallmarks. - Merete Sanderhoff
