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Guido
Heuer's Multiples between Pop-Art and Arte Povera
In Contemporary Art, a work of art
is defined by its Style. And that Style is formed by a
System of rules: elements, relationships, principles etc;
and by Expression. Both are found in any work of art, but
they are inevitably in conflict. The rules imposed by the
System are almost always deposed by Expressivity, which
is governed by emotion. In this way, if a work of art is
regulated by a system of elements, such as perspective
for example, the expression which follows may destroy it
in the name of Expressivity. Contemporary Art deposes
most of the principles laid down by classical art,
beginning with the theme of literature as in
mythological, historical or alegorical scenes, since
visual art cannot and should not be verbal.
Guido Heuer has based his works on contemporary styles
born after 1960. The first, Pop-Art, emerged initially in
England in the 1960s but was soon taken over and improved
upon in the USA. The aim is to highlight the consumer
society and mass communication: comic books, billboards,
advertising posters, portraits of personalities, urban
folklore etc.Pop-Art may be translated asPopular Art and
is figurative.
In these terms Guido Heuer has been recording in metal
features of our everyday life and newspaper stories to
create memoirs of our time. The Style adopts as its
System of rules the rigour of metal engraving in which
may be found the source of his images, which are always
multiples. In this way Guido Heuer manages to remind us
of the consumer society which almost always only ever
produces kitsch.
In contrast, as can be seen in his
'Arte-Roda' works, Guido Heuer manages to give us a
contrast to Arte Povera, which is a child of Pop-Art, but
with a different intention: one of counter-culture, that
is, to question society's cultural values by using cheap,
common materials; in many cases the rubbish of this
wasteful consumer community itself. There is also the use
of Nature incorporated in the work of art, in Guido
Heuer's case this is wood.
We see, therefore, the artist's use of bobbins from
telegraph poles, taking off their wheels and adding them
to the work to create a contrast between cheap wood and
fine metal, as well as providing us with the formal
rigour of metal engraving, in which the high level of
disciplined craftsmanship of the artist may be
appreciated.
To conclude: Guido Heuer's work sets itself between these
two contemporary movements - Pop-Art and . In terms of
the creative process, the artist's style is a battle
between the rigour of metal engraving in all its
nobleness and the poverty expressed by using the
precarious material that is wood taken from discarded
telegraph pole bobbins. And all this within the
socialisation of art. Time seems to run swiftly in the
winding and unwinding of the poetry of Guido Heuer's
thread of memoirs. It is a visual poem that is a delight
to the eye and to the mind.
Alberto Beuttenmüller
Member of the International Art Critics Association
(IACA-Paris)
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