Michael Goller

Michael Goller paints and writes, writes and paints. Sometimes, he does it separately, often, however, he does it in one another. He may be the most restless and forward pushing member of those four Querschlag artists, whose self-doubts lie close together with his lofty thoughts. His paintings are ornamental, expressive and narrative at the same time. They mix cartoon elements with the abstract magic of colours and want to unsettle the observer by the directness of the contents and still remain art. A dreamer who is aware of reality, though, associatively paraphrasing and who wants to outline his cosmos by the means of poetry. Thus, the titles of his paintings, such as the enslavement of the creator by redemption of mind and matter, what appears like mazed confusion. Again and again, words und phrases are written in the paintings that are often hard to make out, so that they resemble hieroglyphs. Bizarre murmur of time in which perspectives are turning, rooms get locked by colour layers, figures and animals get stuck somewhere in the picture layers, foot kicks spread and hands vanish. Sometimes, there appear standardised rectangles that suddenly bring sobering reality into the creative chaos - with a different code of communication. However, Michael Goller remains linked to Earth, as he does it with the mouth full of chocolate cream or during the conversation with the tea bag. There is always irony and deeper meaning as well as poetry rather than the world hidden behind. Surely, his paintings turn into an antipole of the coldly sentimental product aesthetics by means of their sensory substance.
Dr. Ina Gille, art historian, Leipzig 5/2005 (translation: Peter Fischer)

Michael Goller painting

In his new paintings Michael Goller presents the viewer with the complexity and ambivalence of this day and age. He expresses these conditions in a modern way, applying both archaic power and artistic verve. What at first observation appears to be a more or less accidental combination of colors, after looking carefully, reveals itself as a well devised composition. The thoughtful viewer will see the well-considered use of color and artistic skill of the artist's fully developed creations. Sketches and studies are important preparations for Goller, but he also gives way to spontaneity in his works. His paintings display continuous reflection -- he concentrates on specific ideas and themes, turns them upside down and inside out. In some cases this is repetitive, and one can appreciate/understand this process in his works. They are neither polished nor lifeless creations but impulsive and impassioned paintings. More intensive study of Goller's works reveals many narrations. Like a big book the paintings offer us a wealth of stories. It is a little bit like archaeology, if we want to discover them we have to "excavate" several layers. Adding to the interest and mystery of his pieces are his utilization of peculiar letters – envisioned and included by the artist himself. Like runic characters or stone-age signs they are scratched into the coat of paint and help us to conceptualize almost every work. These are Goller's personal symbols and they represent the complexity and the concurrence of disparate events which are characteristic of our time. Shapes and content of orchestral richness and opulence flow profusely over the large canvases. The observer can almost compare the effects of these types of visuals to a “horror vacui”. By contrast, the smaller drawings and works on paper display a much more concentrated use of artistic elements (as is typical of chamber music) and act as a fine counterpart to the larger creations. These compositions are more economical, as they are reduced to few elements. With these simpler works, another characteristic feature of a Michael Goller creation becomes apparent: The discerning eye will see a conflict in the creator's artistic application. Accurate drawings with fine lines -- mostly still-life-scenes or ancient portrait busts -- meet side by side with gestic paint spatters, drops, and spots to give the works their own vibrant dynamism and rhythm.
Alexander Stoll, Annaberg 6/2006 (translation: Jeannine Helbig)

Michael Goller painting