Faces

The early stage of Palaschke’s portrait work was characterized by an almost monochromatic nature, emphasizing specific facial features, which vary in each individual portrait. This technique resulted in an assemblage of up to ten single works which, in their overall impression, convey the desired effect. Thereby, not only the coloring but also the assemblage of the single portraits in particular is essential to the artist. Palaschke’s portrait styles range from a rough palette-knife technique and hazy portraits right up to monochrome, almost photo-realistic colored charcoal drawings on various materials. Works with darkened portrait background amplify the expression and focus on the essentials of the painting.

It is important for Palaschke to keep a balance amongst the similarity of the portrayed and the portrait as well as of the expression of personality. The artist makes it easy for viewers to always find new traits in single portraits. He establishes a particular connection between the person interested in arts and the one who was portrayed. The artist has created large-sized charcoal portraits, paying fascinating attention to detail, with monochrome glazes, interrupted by fine lines, which on the one hand, increase the three-dimensional effect of the portrait and on the other hand emphasize the individuality of each work. These artistic features have become a trademark of Christoph Palaschke.