ANCIENT HALLWAY

by Petra Eva-Maria Schüßler

‘Ancient Hallway’ is one of my personal favourites from my extensive figurative series spanning 2005 to 2015. This expressive landscape-format painting depicts four shadowy, slender figures in a mysterious room reminiscent of the colonnade of an ancient temple – perhaps in the legendary Atlantis? The fascinating interplay of vibrant orange, warm ochre, deep reds and shades ranging from pale yellow to white exudes a magical, history-steeped aura.

The work captivates with its very special, tactile creation process: I intuitively sketched the graceful silhouettes directly onto the canvas with my fingers, whilst the glazed areas of colour were applied vigorously with a palette knife. Whilst the paint was still wet, I carved Tibetan mantras and mysterious symbols into it, lending the painting a profound, spiritual soul and a vibrant surface texture. The original, sold many years ago, hangs in the conference room of an IT company, whilst an elegant canvas print hangs above my bed.

‘Ancient Hallway’ floods any room with a palpable, transformative warmth and mysterious depth. Whether in the living room, a stylish office or above a modern sideboard: this luminous artwork magically draws the eye and is a perfect fit for people who share a passion for mythology, history and expressive, figurative contemporary art.