Tucked away in his brightly lit studio, portrait artist Jörg Madlener prepares for his newest open studio, PANTA RHEI, which opened this past weekend at his home in Claryville.

Madlener, a German-born Belgian citizen, relocated to the Catskills 21 years ago after being captivated by the works of Jackson Pollock. He resides in a large yet perpetually under-construction home with his wife Midori Kurihana and daughter Alma. The three live part-time between Sullivan County and Hoboken, NJ.

During his younger years in Frankfort, Madlener dedicated his time to studying everything, from the humanities and architecture to philosophy, music and art. And after graduating, Madlener became the only private student of Otto Dix, a well known German painter known for his portrayal of the brutality of war.

The 81-year-old’s early work was heavily inspired by Dix’s themes. His first solo exhibition at the Galerie Le Creuset in Brussels in 1965 displayed the agony of the wars in Europe. He created over 30 abstract portraits over the course of 20 years of the composer Gustav Mahler. Depicting the recent wars in Syria and Iran as well as ancient violence, such as the clairvoyance of Cassandra, which led to the fall of Troy in 1184 occupied his recent work.

“My portraits are not conventional,” said Madlener, “I see landscapes in the face transform into the abstract like a broken mirror. You can often see multiple emotions within one portrait the more time you look at it.”
However, Madlener’s most recent exhibition is unlike any of his previous works. In this unique tribute to the Catskills landscape, the self-taught painter created intimate and abstract portraits of the river near his home. He utilized an egg tempera medium, an ancient technique in which the artist mixes an egg with water and a turpentine varnish and pigment, creating a fast-drying and permanent piece of art.Before leaving for Germany these pieces will be shown in his home studio rather than a traditional gallery, allowing viewers to have a personal experience with each portrait of the river.

The title of his studio show, Panta Rhei, ancient Greek for “everything flows” alludes to the connection Madlener developed to the nature that surrounds his home. At five each morning, Madlener took the short hike to the river flowing between Claryville and Frost Valley. The next half an hour is spent taking photos and sketching the river with charcoal before heading back to his studio to paint the landscapes he observed. Following this routine every day for five months, Madlener began to develop his own philosophy about the river.

“The river is always ahead of me,” said Madlener. “It flows away in a curve and disappears beyond my sight, but I know it’s still there. It’s a metaphor for life, for birth and for death.

The hand-made paper he used for this series of paintings is heavy, like a dinner plate and must be flatted between to large pieces of glass as it dries. It appears in shades of black and white throughout this exhibition. Set in large Birchwood frames, his work will line the walls of the bunker concert walls in Germany. The images with the white background symbolize the life and energy of the river during the day. Muted smears of maroon and blue scattered and swirled across the canvas like flowing water, abstract flecks of green faintly resembling weeds. The images on the black background symbolize the magic the river holds during nightfall. As Madlener cannot see the river at night, he explores nocturnal dreams and monsters with vibrant bursts of blue and yellow, exploding like fireworks upon the dark canvas.

“Using the black background to paint is extraordinary. The black sheet is fantastic to explore the space of the canvas using strong pigments I don’t often use in my portraits,” said Madlener.

Throughout his career, Madlener’s talent has been displayed in museums around the globe. From the Museum Heylshof in Worms, the Royal Academy in Brussels, the Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi and the Kunsthalle Darmstadt among others they witnessed Madlener’s skill of combining the abstract with the physical landscapes of both nature and people andcontinue to catch the eye of art galleries in numerous countries.

Madlener’s newest collection of 25 paintings took less than two hours each to create yet are whimsical and detailed explorations into the beauty he sees within the Catskills. He refused to retouch any of the paintings after the paint dries, which takes less than an hour. Along with this exhibition, his art honoring the natural local beauty will be displayed again in Energy Park, a restored Cold War Bunker in Saerbeck, Germany on July 20th.

“You never step in the same river twice,” said Madlener, “what you saw is already gone when you blink. The river is a teacher of time and taught me there is no such thing as goodbye, just a ‘see you down the river.’”
The show will be at Madlener’s home (1094 Claryville Rd, Claryville, NY 12725) July 1st through the 4th and July 8th through the 11th 9 am to 6 pm. He notes to email him joergmadlener@gmail.com or call him at 845-985-2048 with any questions.