Whenever a painter uses paint to make a line, he begins to create an appearance. But the paint itself has a realty, it has informed the life of the painter, also became his undoing, but the beholder doesn’t know any of this, he doesn’t see the real paint. That is Peter Tollens’ (born 1954 in Kleve, lives in Cologne) theme. He seems to say, “No illusions, paint is paint and nothing else.” And with every painting he paints, he seems to pose the question what paint is. The answer is in his work. A dialogue develops with every brushstroke. Space emerges, time passes and is captured, a structure develops and adds expression, values and convictions are reflected in it, the colour adds sound and atmosphere. By foregoing illusion and focussing on paint and colour, the painter shows us that paint and painting are the painter himself, they are part of his body, his emotions and perception. The painter cannot hide anywhere in his painting.
