April 18, 2010
Portland Press Herald

PORTLAND, ME - Clorius has two paintings chosen for gallery in Chicago

Aucocisco Galleries announced that Portland artist Tim Clorius had two paintings juried into "Visual Narrative: Fine Art That Tells A Story," an exhibition at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. Clorius joined Aucocisco this spring and is working toward an exhibition this fall. He recently showed his work in Germany. For information, visit www.aucocisco.com.

More than Meets the Eye
by Heide Seele
the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung Dec.2009

Intimate with art history:
Tim Clorius exhibits his paintings at galerie p13 in Heidelberg-numerous references and associations

A home game: The parents were there, a steady stream of friends and acquaintances as well as the teachers of the Kurfuerst- Friedrich- Gymnasium from which the artist, who was born in Heidelberg in 1976, graduated with his Abitur in 1995. So we couldn't pass up the chance to interview the former art teacher about Tim Clorius. Thomas Kopp describes his former student without hesitation as idiosyncratic and creative, live-loving and willing to take risks, as well as being friendly and social. This positive impression solidified during my conversation with the confident two meter man, who settled down in the American city of Portland and received his bachelor of fine arts with honors from the Maine College of Art.

His works do not particularly match the usual concept art program of galerie p13, which is located in Heidelberg. It is hard to imagine that his art originated from the graffiti and street art scene, except for his only large format "Eva's Bite" with the archetypal apple containing the meaningful bite, in the foreground. In this work Clorius used spray paint, thereby creating a connection to graffiti art, which he doesn't necessarily associate entirely with type and tags. In most of the other works he shows himself influenced by tradition, especially British art from the 18th and 19th centuries( including the horse painter George Stubbs), and is working towards creating a harmonious union between this traditional interest, color field painting and minimalism. He paints with oil on linen, allowing the paint to protrude beyond the edges of the canvases and purposefully refrains from using frames. At first glance one might rather think of the meticulous approach of the old masters than of contemporary art.

The reflective artist, who demonstrates his familiarity with art history, by "shamelessly appropriating from all of it's eras"(gallery director Kristina Hoge), prefers small and often times tiny formats. He enriches his precisely painted, mostly narrative images with quite a few historical or social references and developed a visual language, which wants to be deciphered. Even the title of his show "More than Meets the Eye" indicates that he doesn't trust mere perception. He is fascinated by great painters like, for instance, Magritte, who's effects and illusions inspire him, and regards the idea and its execution as equally important. He shows himself to be influenced by the romantic movement, so he might paint colorfully illuminated skies or hint towards mythology and bible, but to contemporary trends as well. This can be seen in the mail- order- bride, ordered via catalog, which stands naked and wrapped in translucent packing material (in an idyllic setting), while the buyer, dressed in historic costume, is on the telephone attempting to return her to the sender. So humor and irony play a role in this work, as do fractures in the paintings internal narrative / time relationship.

Aside from the formal and technical sophistication certain stylistic elements stand out in Tim Clorius's work. His consciously composed, seemingly frozen "snap shots", or the repeated use of a theater curtain take his works out of the realm of reality, by being exposed as composed scenes.

This generates a needed distance that suggests " don't take this too seriously, but with a little humor", resulting in an irreal-surreal quality in many of the scenes.

Translated by Felix Luedeke