Through the Trees. Clara Adolphs

Clara Adolphs paints from photographs found at flea markets, on eBay, or rescued from family albums. Most of the photographs that inspire Adolphs come from the 20th century, a time when photography became democratised and was a mass phenomenon in a post-war world full of movement and progress. Even knowing this, the images lack context, allowing the artist to reinterpret, filter and transform them in her paintings. In this way, Clara Adolphs establishes a connection with the anonymous people portrayed.

The artist allows herself to be subjective and to interpret the stories told by the photographs emotionally. Adolphs’ paintings capture everyday, intimate moments; Clara Adolphs believes that these memories can form a collective memory capable of resonating with viewers. Through her work, she breathes new life into forgotten moments, transforming them into timeless fragments.

Both photography and painting are ways of interpreting the world, one more subjective than the other. In Clara Adolphs’ case, she offers her own version of an interpretation of reality and transforms everyday moments into art. Her painting technique plays with the contrast between paint and the emptiness of the canvas, creating visual effects similar to photographic overexposure. Her brushwork is quick and gestural, and the use of a palette knife adds both texture and dynamism to the surface of her paintings.