Ulrich Erben

Galerie Löhrl, Mönchengladbach

Private Collection, North-Rhine Westphalia (acquired from the above in 1993)

Acquired as a gift from the above

• Farben der Erinnerung explores color as a medium of memory and perception, shaped by the influence of Mediterranean light
• An abstract, atmospheric composition by Ulrich Erben, a key figure in German color field painting
• Features a balanced interplay of earthy red, pastel blue, turquoise, and bright blue fields

Ulrich Erben is a key figure in German color field painting, known for his exploration of color as a medium of memory and perception. His artistic approach is rooted in a deep engagement with light, space, and atmosphere. Having spent significant time in southern Italy, Erben’s work reflects the influence of Mediterranean light, not in its dramatic intensity, but in its quiet ability to illuminate color from within. Since the late 1980s, Erben has been developing his Farben der Erinnerung (Colors of Memory) series, where he uses color not to represent, but to evoke: memory, emotion, and states of inner experience.

One of the key works from this series, Farben der Erinnerung (1992), presents a meditation on the nature of memory and its elusive, shifting presence. In this canvas, five color fields interact in a carefully calibrated composition. Two large zones, an earthy red and a light, pastel blue, are divided by a horizontal turquoise bar, establishing both contrast and connection. These central forms are held within a frame of bright blue tinged with subtle pink, where visible brushstrokes shift between transparency and opacity. Rather than focusing the composition around a central element, Erben creates a suspended equilibrium, allowing each color to resonate on its own terms while contributing to a unified, atmospheric whole.

Farben der Erinnerung is not only an impressive example of Erben's painterly sensibility, but also a key work within his late oeuvre. It demonstrates how abstract painting can become a place of personal and collective memory - without illustrations, without narrative, solely through the subtle interplay of color, surface, and stillness.