white symphony of janna kreuter(j.k).

J.K.`s interpretation of abstraction is an ascendant style of the heroic
turn of the century when such geniuses as Kandinsky, Malevich, Klee,
Matyushin carried out the art revolution. Ever since Russian abstraction
as well as world abstraction has become a conservative style. It was
buried and revived again in various forms from op-art to neo-geo.

J.K. returns abstraction into the plane of current modern art`s problems.
Her works create the different textures` effect and even sounds,
teetering on the fanciful brink of conservatism and experiment,
traditionalism and exoticism, expressive materiality and evanescence.
We can say that her paintings are unsteady flickering textures and their
meanings will be never opened. These works intrigue the spectator.
They captivate by its rich performance. J.K.`s works impress by the
texture itself. This texture is spiritual and plot bearer of works' content.
She also creates the co-existence space: her works are live organisms
changing at the time of contemplation and living together.

The problem of texture was erected at the heart of Russian classical
avant-garde. Paradoxically, Malevich and Matyushin, inheriting spiritual-
mystical tradition of ancient art, totally symbolized and semanticized the
texture of works. In the name of absolute expression everything
subjects to the pure texture cult, which leads to the disappearance of
color and paint (a classic example is "White on White" Malevich), to

minimalist abstractions, and eventually to zero - in fact, to the blank canvas.
At the turn of the millennium the art didn`t solve the problems of modernism
and has again been in such a deep crisis that it`s problematic even to define
its substance. In this situation, creativity exists as an intention, hope and
desire of art, searching at the vibrating boundary of sensations, inflections
and textures. It is in this sphere the leading edge of searching lies,
regardless of whether the artist works in Photoshop, creates new themes'
design or experiments with its own corporeality.

The maturity and the virtuosity of J.K.`s works reaches mystical limits – a
breath effect, a whisper, and creates an aura beyond the physical limits. All
this: multilayer, different textures, ambiguity, silence polyphony are gathered
in the multivalency unity. In J.K.`s pictures it feels the depth of Russian
intimate artistic tradition, not dismembering material and spiritual, living and
dead, past and future ... The last series of J.K.`s "White Symphony"
canvases is notable for it`s delicate elegance in solving the current abstract
painting`s challenges.

Andrey Khlobystin
St. Petersburg 2009
Transleted by Alexandra Selivanova