"Printed Matter" exhibition by Maurice Ducret at Galerie Renggli

A combination of painting and photography is being exhibited by the Aargau artist Maurice Ducret at the Galerie Carla Renggli in Zug.

It is currently autumn, and yet it is currently blooming in all Carla Renggli's exhibition rooms. A huge bouquet of white and reddish tulips hangs from a thin thread between two peonies and a branch of quince blossom. Inbetween these are colourful Plexiglass panes that have been combined into an abstract combination. Everything is larger than in nature, and Maurice Ducret perceives the astonished reactions of the visitors with a mischievous smile. Many of them marvel at the aesthetics of the motifs, and their perfect technical reproduction.

"I used to paint abstractly and expressionistically. The monotony of the subjects no longer suits me. For some years now, I have been dedicating myself to representation. It was like a liberation," says the 67-year-old Aargau artist on Saturday at the opening of the "Printed Matter” exhibition. He has a fondness for certain motifs, such as Nature with mountains and water. Above all, it is flowers – a focal point of the exhibition in Zug – that he buys at markets or fetches from his own garden that repeatedly encourage him to capture their blossoming beauty: "I want to bring them closer to the viewer through my eyes."

Technique that combines painting and photography
Maurice Ducret has developed a special technique that combines painting and photography. The former drawing teacher has a trained eye, so he quickly recognises interesting details in nature and captures them with the camera. The film material then serves him as raw material, from which he develops the subjects he wants to implement in an elaborate printing process. The photos are scanned, digitised, and either enlarged or reduced, depending on which elements he wants to edit. He then coats the canvases with thick brush strokes of a neutral primer, before modelling the motif onto it in several layers. The brush strokes shine through, and give the pigmented print a special appeal. The artist also consciously shapes the background until the expressiveness is right for him.

The artist Maurice Ducret in the Galerie Carla Renggli in Zug.

Anyone who knows him will be surprised to learn that he also creates objects such as vases, petals or plastic bowls with the 3D printer in the exhibition. He has only been devoting himself to this technique for about two years, and previously modelled most of the objects from plaster. "It takes me about 40 to 50 hours until a vase is ready. The years of tinkering with images and objects are related to my preference for technology," explains Maurice Ducret. He is attracted to developing new solutions and forms of expression for his material, even if they are complex. It is also important for him to emphasize that he realizes each image and object only once. "They are all unique."

Painting is existential during Corona
Maurice Ducret, whose works can be found in numerous museums and collections, has thereby developed his own poetic, and at the same time sensual, pictorial language: "One aspect for me is to set a counterpoint, and to create counterworlds to harsh reality." He doesn't paint anything that is imaginary. Everything is there, and only has to be found in the wealth around us. "Painting has become existential for me in the Corona age. In this way, the withdrawal is less painful."

"Printed Matter" runs until 28 November at Galerie Renggli in Zug. The opening hours are from Wednesday to Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.