Life in the shadows
At Merck, too, Tylle cast a seasoned eye over proceedings in order to capture all the perspectives and particulars that would be later immortalized in oil. Conditions there were more comfortable than in a deep coal mine, where on occasion he has had to paint in a prone position. Using a camera, he quickly recorded all the spatial impressions he required from the labs and factories. Normally, he would have erected a portable easel and mixed various oil colors on his palette before composing a series of quick studies, as these are so much more valuable than photographs. This time, however, his easel — he has been using the same one for 30 years — had to stay outside the factory gates for reasons of cleanliness. Once back in his studio in Fuldatal, however, he was able to reach for his brush and begin to recreate on a large canvas all that he had seen and experienced at Merck.
At Merck, too, Tylle cast a seasoned eye over proceedings in order to capture all the perspectives and particulars that would be later immortalized in oil. Conditions there were more comfortable than in a deep coal mine, where on occasion he has had to paint in a prone position. Using a camera, he quickly recorded all the spatial impressions he required from the labs and factories. Normally, he would have erected a portable easel and mixed various oil colors on his palette before composing a series of quick studies, as these are so much more valuable than photographs. This time, however, his easel — he has been using the same one for 30 years — had to stay outside the factory gates for reasons of cleanliness. Once back in his studio in Fuldatal, however, he was able to reach for his brush and begin to recreate on a large canvas all that he had seen and experienced at Merck.
Tylle’s works display an extraordinary depth and vividness of color — much more so than a photo. “A photograph can only reproduce a third of the color space that the human eye is capable of perceiving,” he explains. “There are some color ranges that a photo just can’t deliver. And certain gradations of shading just come out black. But in my pictures, these areas are colored and transformed into painting.”
Viewed from a distance, Tylle’s works develop a complex life of their own; seen close up, the details dissolve into abstraction and individual, seemingly random brushstrokes. “That’s something I like to play with. But it’s also important to regain the right distance to the pictures.” In his studio, for example, a former fur factory, his easel is 15 meters from his desk.
Viewed from a distance, Tylle’s works develop a complex life of their own; seen close up, the details dissolve into abstraction and individual, seemingly random brushstrokes. “That’s something I like to play with. But it’s also important to regain the right distance to the pictures.” In his studio, for example, a former fur factory, his easel is 15 meters from his desk.
In the moments when he isn’t pursuing his other passion, computers, he can mull over his latest work and the desirability of adding, say, another pipe or tube for the sake of the composition. This is because Tylle creates reality anew. In other words, his pictures look real, but essentially they obey the artistic ideals of their creator. This can also mean inventing, removing, or repositioning workers. “I decide what’s real!” he says with a laugh, before turning to his latest picture: a vineyard in the rolling countryside above a factory in Iphofen, the third station in his two-year tour.
