4 mm: Westkeller / Endstation [audio recordings]

Label TextA.R. Penck, 4 mm: Westkeller / Endstation (1983) Growing up in a divided country has greatly influenced A. R. Penck’s work. He was born in 1939 in what became communist East Germany, but escaped to West Berlin in 1980. Penck’s paintings from the early 1980s feature a code that he calls Standarts (Banners). This collection of signs and symbols is meant to instill a specific feeling in the viewer. The style is based, in part, on Penck’s interest in cybernetics (the science of control and communications in animals and machines), information theory, and ciphers. One example is the stick figure he uses to represent Man. For Penck, the stick-man symbolizes the lack of individual identity in modern society. The simplified painting style and the use of symbols reflect the artist's personal sense of alienation. In addition to painting, Penck is an active musician, having released his first album in 1979. His music reflects his painting. It is composed of elements that occasionally overlap but rarely blend. Electronic blips, tones, and sound waves course through the work. An unrelated percussion element continues in the background. Rambling guitar solos interject a discordant, disjointed element. The album cover reproduces a painting by Penck that features his iconic stick-men.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Splendid Pages: The Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection of Modern Illustrated Books, Feb. 14--May 11, 2003.