„Bilderstrom – The Rhine and Photography 2016-1853“.
It brings together around 260 impressive photographs by 62 important European photographers from 163 years.The exhibition explores the interactions between river and image by means of photography, a process that stands in a special field of tension between fidelity to reality and the longing for imagination.The show brings together renowned European photographers, especially from Germany and the neighbouring countries of Switzerland, France and the Netherlands.The spectrum ranges from free documentary and photojournalistic works to photographic artistic positions".(homepage LRV LandesMuseum Bonn)In my video "Rhine too - Images in the Rhine"(in allusion to the photo "Rhine II" by Andreas Gursky), I show some photos from my series "Bilder in Wasser"/"Images in Water", which I took from the Rhine.The motifs are not constructed in retrospect, all these Images become visible,when you look at the Rhine from a certain angle.
1.
"Rhine too - Images in the Rhine"
2.I am a great admirer of the work of William Turner and Claude Monet,who have been dealing with the element water for decades. William Turner made many sketches on his travels along the Rhine, of which he later made pictures.I see my "Images in Water" as a further development of their work with modern means.
3. "Surreal pictures of the Wurm river"
"Picture worlds of the Wurm": When a photo exhibition has this subtitle, one might think in the first moment of landscapes of the Wurmtal, of the stream meandering through the meadows, or of trees reflected in the water.
But the images that the photographic artist Paul Rolans made of the Wurm give the water a completely new, unfamiliar face.
For this reason, "Everything in the Flow" is also the title of the exhibition, which will be shown in the Eurode Railway Station at the start of the Euregionale 2008. Here,"in the flow" does not mean flowing, but the place where the pictures are created. Paul Rolans approaches the water very closely and captures the images created by the incidence of light, movement of the water and reflections. Surreal, colourful snapshots and detailed pictures of a river.
"Water is my subject, which I have been dealing with for several years. It's very fascinating, because every river tells its own stories and has its own images,"says the Dutch-born man who lives in Cologne. It is only necessary to know where the light comes in or where the water breaks at a natural obstacle, and to find the right perspective to capture the complex reflections correctly.
With his digital camera he followed the course of the Wurm from Aachen to Übach-Palenberg. The results are fascinating. His special perspective, the way he uses the light. His view of things may seem strange at first glance, but on closer inspection the central motif emerges, said Herzogenrath's mayor on Sunday at the opening of the exhibition. This is also a merit of the chosen river. “The worm is an excellent model, very versatile and multi-faceted - just like a real star,"says Christoph von den Driesch with a smile.
Aachener Zeitung /Herzogenrath
4.“Everything in the Flow ": Uniqueness of the Wurm river captured with a camera.
In the Wurm, Germany and the Netherlands merge seamlessly in the Euregio," said Mayor Christoph von den Driesch in his welcoming address at the opening of Paul Rolans' exhibition “Everything in the flow" at the Herzogenrath Forum for Art and Culture.
The cross-border course of the river inspired Rolans, who was born in the Netherlands, to make an exhibition with pictures of the Wurm in the Euregional context. “Water is a very important element of the Euregio, which is also called Euregio Rhine-Maas," the artist explains.
The idea was well received in Herzogenrath, because "Wurmtal without borders" is a Euregional project, where the river is the focus of attention. Already last year, the photographer took a close look at the course of the Wurm from the sources in Aachen-Diepenbenden to Übach-Palenberg.
Not whole bank sections served as motifs, but only the water itself. His subjects are complexes of reflections within the water, which are caused by the movement of the cool water, reflections from shore and subsoil and the light irradiation.
During a walk through the forest, Rolans discovered images in the trees caused by the different colours and the incidence of light. On closer inspection, he found the same phenomenon in water and has since made this kind of photography his specialty.
“The work for this exhibition was a lot of fun for me, the Wurmtal is unique," the artist seems to have enjoyed his excursions into nature. It is no longer difficult for him to find suitable motifs for his works, he says and he developed a feeling for places where the motion of water and refraction of light create interesting colourplays.
In retrospect, Paul Rolans has created a Pop Art series from a motif of one of his pictures.“I have also created symmetries and completely new motifs through reflections from a photo. But most of the pictures I have not changed, "says Rolans. All the more surprising is the color intensity of the pictures, which one would associate with a Caribbean underwater world rather than with the domestic worm.Not whole bank sections served as motifs, but only the water itself. His subjects are complexes of reflections within the water, which are caused by the movement of the water, reflections from shore and subsoil and the light irradiation.
Aachener Zeitung /Herzogenrath, 27.05.2008
5. This picture reminded a visitor of the exhibition of a self-portrait of Rembrandt.
During my work at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,I had enough time to study the Old Masters and Rembrandt is one of my favorites.
During my work at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,I had enough time to study the Old Masters and Rembrandt is one of my favorites.
6.„Dans le cadre de la seconde édition du festival Normandie Impressionniste consacrée au thème de l'eau, le musée des impressionnismes Giverny organise une exposition « Signac, les couleurs de l'eau ».Comme Claude Monet, Paul Signac a trouvé une source d'inspiration constante dans l'évocation de l'eau et de ses couleurs.Depuis les premières marines peintes sur le littoral normand avec une vigueur et une liberté impressionnistes jusqu'aux amples architectures portuaires aux couleurs vives d'après-guerre, la description de l'eau et du ciel offrirent à Signac un inépuisable prétexte à multiplier les variations chromatiques."... (site: Musée des Impressionnismes, Giverny). J´admire les oeuvres des impressionnistes beaucoup. Depuis dix ans,je travaille á mon projet "des Images dans l´eau"- "Images in Water". Je le regarde comme une continuation de leur travail, avec des moyens d´aujourd´hui.
Images in
Water: (Dr.Kerstin Stremmel DGPh)
Paul Rolans pursues another strategy to legitimise photography as an autonomous
artistic medium. He observes nature phenomena and in his series images in
Water, which he developed since 2003 with persistence and a trained view, he
comes to results, that at first glance seem to be rooted in fantasy alone. He
relies on lucky coincidences and achieves in a deliberate way photographs,
which hardly offer any realistic reference points, colour and above all form
have released themselves from the traditional commitments of photographic
registration. Thus,puzzling Images with a high associative content are created,
we see a strange embryonal body, that seems to be surrounded by icicels,
emerging from crystals. So subjectively that may sound, so much photographic
precision is needed to what is only apparently photograpie automatique. At
first Rolans regarded himself as a pure registrar of the photopraghed phenomena
however, as time went by, he became aware of the criteria of his selection. In
his improvisations his intention is to naturally enhance the images he finds
during the intensive obeservation of water. Nowadays he edits the images if it
serves the aesthetic precision. Disturbing details are removed, but nothing is
added; Rolans wants, like he says in his own words, to leave the image in
harmony with nature.
"Images in Water - The Fascination of Water"The motto of this year's Potsdam theme year is the "Fascination of Water".This motto fits in well with a city like Potsdam, which is characterised by an attractive water landscape. Numerous events, projects and exhibitions accompany the theme year. And an exhibition depicting the fascination of water in a special way can be seen until 31 October at the Jan Bouman Haus. The Dutch photographer Paul Rolans, who lives in Cologne, shows "Images in Water", which he saw in the canals and harbours of Amsterdam and Rotterdam and captured with his camera. You can see pictures of a special kind, which at first (and second) sight have hardly anything to do with classical photography.What do you see when you look into the water of a lake, river or well? Your reflection, clouds, trees or the environment reflected in it? But surely not what Paul Rolans` pictures have made visible to us viewers. To see these motifs in reality requires a very trained eye, the luck of the moment and a lot of imagination. And Paul Rolans has developed a trained eye over the years.Water is a vital element, a source of life and healing, it connects (e. g. places), refreshes, is sometimes calm and sometimes in motion? And since 2003 he has been working on his artistic concept "Images in Water". The images he captures in the water are unique and unrepeatable, they are snapshots that are influenced by light, water movement, wind and air. He doesn't look for the Images, he finds them. And what is reflected on the water surface can be, for example, buildings of the environment, trees, clouds or the play of light. He captures these images, but not in the classical sense of a "mirror image". Instead, he "zooms in" with his eye and camera into the images and discovers new Images in them that seemingly have nothing to do with the reality of the naked eye. His "Images in Water" are extreme close-ups and appear abstract and enigmatic. And above all, they stimulate the imagination. Since the original motifs (mostly) can no longer be guessed, it is necessary to discover your own motifs. And the imagination can grow wings in the middle of the water.In some cases, he intensifies its effects by light post-processing on the computer; however, nothing is added but only removed. Some of the motifs he reflects and creates completely new views.The water pictures he is currently showing at the Jan Bouman House are pictures from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Believe me, you have never seen such pictures of canals and docks before. My first impression was... these are not photos, these are surrealistic graphics. And although my imagination was able to get involved with the motifs and went on a voyage of discovery, my head had problems with the idea that I actually see photos.Incidentally, the exhibition fits beautifully into the Jan Bouman House and the Dutch Quarter. The museum is run by the Förderverein zur Pflege der niederländische Kultur in Potsdam e. V., i. e. the appropriate setting to show the pictures of a Dutch photographer and artist. Drawing attention to the Jan Bouman House by an acquaintance, Paul Rolans contacted me and learned about the Potsdam theme year "Fascination of Water". An ideal combination of theme, house and Artist.Exhibition review by Ivette Arnholdt, (Freelance journalist, Potsdam)
"Images in Water - The Fascination of Water"The motto of this year's Potsdam theme year is the "Fascination of Water".This motto fits in well with a city like Potsdam, which is characterised by an attractive water landscape. Numerous events, projects and exhibitions accompany the theme year. And an exhibition depicting the fascination of water in a special way can be seen until 31 October at the Jan Bouman Haus. The Dutch photographer Paul Rolans, who lives in Cologne, shows "Images in Water", which he saw in the canals and harbours of Amsterdam and Rotterdam and captured with his camera. You can see pictures of a special kind, which at first (and second) sight have hardly anything to do with classical photography.What do you see when you look into the water of a lake, river or well? Your reflection, clouds, trees or the environment reflected in it? But surely not what Paul Rolans` pictures have made visible to us viewers. To see these motifs in reality requires a very trained eye, the luck of the moment and a lot of imagination. And Paul Rolans has developed a trained eye over the years.Water is a vital element, a source of life and healing, it connects (e. g. places), refreshes, is sometimes calm and sometimes in motion? And since 2003 he has been working on his artistic concept "Images in Water". The images he captures in the water are unique and unrepeatable, they are snapshots that are influenced by light, water movement, wind and air. He doesn't look for the Images, he finds them. And what is reflected on the water surface can be, for example, buildings of the environment, trees, clouds or the play of light. He captures these images, but not in the classical sense of a "mirror image". Instead, he "zooms in" with his eye and camera into the images and discovers new Images in them that seemingly have nothing to do with the reality of the naked eye. His "Images in Water" are extreme close-ups and appear abstract and enigmatic. And above all, they stimulate the imagination. Since the original motifs (mostly) can no longer be guessed, it is necessary to discover your own motifs. And the imagination can grow wings in the middle of the water.In some cases, he intensifies its effects by light post-processing on the computer; however, nothing is added but only removed. Some of the motifs he reflects and creates completely new views.The water pictures he is currently showing at the Jan Bouman House are pictures from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Believe me, you have never seen such pictures of canals and docks before. My first impression was... these are not photos, these are surrealistic graphics. And although my imagination was able to get involved with the motifs and went on a voyage of discovery, my head had problems with the idea that I actually see photos.Incidentally, the exhibition fits beautifully into the Jan Bouman House and the Dutch Quarter. The museum is run by the Förderverein zur Pflege der niederländische Kultur in Potsdam e. V., i. e. the appropriate setting to show the pictures of a Dutch photographer and artist. Drawing attention to the Jan Bouman House by an acquaintance, Paul Rolans contacted me and learned about the Potsdam theme year "Fascination of Water". An ideal combination of theme, house and Artist.Exhibition review by Ivette Arnholdt, (Freelance journalist, Potsdam)
