Corinne Wasmuht overlays many images on top of each other in her large-scale oil paintings on wood to create virtually abstract creations. Wasmuht begins with selecting pictures from her personal collection and the internet. Then she whitewashes and polishes wooden planks to prepare them for the paint layers that will be added when she builds up the painting.
Wasmuht’s paintings expresse an information overload caused by today’s profusion of mass media and technology. Her paintings, which incorporate overlapping images that confound direction and clarity, are so large that viewers may completely immerse themselves in the universe she has created. The non-hierarchical composition fragments, as if one were constantly absorbing bits of knowledge and blending them into an incomprehensible stew.
The images add a narrative aspect to the painting, but the layering flattens them out and removes any feeling of depth. Identifiable objects vanish into abstract forms and colour fields. Figures fluctuate as well. The initial polishing has made the entire composition shine.