From 2008 to 2015, I regularly and assiduously attended L'Artquarium in Geneva. A "break" of around 18 to 24 months (and solitary pictorial work at home) convinced me of my need for coaching, to have a practiced and professional eye to supervise my work, dialogue and progress. That's why, in 2017, I returned to L'Artquarium where, under Gilbert Wolfisberg's trained and attentive eye, I revise the fundamental techniques of painting and its language based on the work I've done at home. I've rediscovered quality teaching, rigorous but nonetheless fostering a creativity that I continue to strive to develop, applying what I've learned.

Composition is, so to speak, the arrangement of lines, masses, colors and shapes used by the painter to direct the viewer's vision of the painting, so as to convey its message as effectively as possible. It's a structure in which everything is based on: values, colors, shapes, movements, harmony, light and contrasts, all of which direct the spatial organization of the painting and build the balance of the image. Techniques vary from one painter to another, from one style to another, from one movement to another and from one era to another, and can also be mixed.

At L'Artquarium, (through the teaching of Gilbert Wolfisberg), I rediscovered with heightened awareness that the art of painting could well be a skilful blend of personal reflections and emotions, the application of techniques and creativity. My choice of abstract painting convinces me of this.

According to various sites consulted on the Internet, an abstract painting doesn't "represent" anything, because abstraction is first and foremost mental. Compared to a figurative work, an abstract painting is approached with a different mindset: the viewer has to change his or her usual frame of reference, to decentralize, because it is open to our own imagination, since it tells us nothing, a priori. Freed from any figurative representation or reference to reality, it is a painting of autonomous signs, a form of writing that is self-sufficient and that reveals not concrete, visible reality, but movements, harmonies, shapes, colors, structures and rhythms.

An abstract painting invites us into a mental universe, more meditative and sometimes even more intellectual than the figurative world. The driving forces behind the abstract painter's expression refer to his states of mind, his character, his temperament, his life path, his inner world, his perceptions, his sensations, his energy, his internal forces and his emotions and reflections, with a view to provoking an emotional impact that the viewer may or may not share.

Contrary to popular belief, creating an abstract work can be more difficult than creating a traditional painting. This is because abstract art defies convention or classical rules. It's up to the artist to break the rules and be expressive, using the rules of composition and techniques at his disposal. The construction of an abstract work is an ongoing search for new writing, based on a structure and composition chosen by the artist.

Gilbert Künzi (74)