Karl Karol Chrobok

“Chrobok paints his work directly outside in nature, regardless of weather conditions. Whether storm, snow, or sun – he is not a pure fair-weather painter – all weather
conditions appeal to him and inspire him to capture his impressions on canvas. In a short time the movement of the trees in the wind, the whipping of the branches in the storm, or the play of light and shadow are skillfully brought onto the canvas by the artist. Chrobok has perfected the fast brushwork. In his paintings, the painted objects do not fade or disappear in the distance. The depth of space is
only created by proportions. His fascination for color is decisive in his paintings. How far can one go
as a painter to let the color speak without leading it into abstraction? Chrobok has found the solution.”
Kirsten Schwarz/ Siegener Museum für Gegenwartskunst 2012.

Karl-Karol Chrobok has been living in Cologne for 30 years. Born in Poland, with a classical education at the Art Academy of Cracow, the versatile painter and installation
the artist has developed towards an enthusiastic plain-air painting.

“I work rapidly, in oil, without a photo template,
gladly directly out in the open as well as in the studio.
Layer by layer, old is painted over, erased in wide areas,
and parts left at the edges. I understand this approach as
a re-enactment of growth and sometimes destruction.
Painting is a struggle with time, with productive
time at the end of which color stands
as a compound on my paintings.”

Born 1960 in Tychy, Poland
1988 emigration to the Federal Republic of Germany
State Lyceum of Art in Bielsko-Biala and Krakow, 1975 –1980 Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, painting and graphics
Master graduate of Arts 1980 –1985
One-year scholarship by the Ministry of Culture of Warsaw awarded at the Alexander Rak competition for graphics, Katowice, 1986
First prize for fine arts rewarded during the “Kulturpreis-Ausstellung” (Culture Award Exhibition) of Göttingen county, 1990 Award “Syrlin-Kunstpreis”
(Syrlin Art Prize) competition for painting, Stuttgart, participation in the exhibition of the 25 winning works, 1992 First Prize rewarded by Kunstverein Höchstadt-Aisch e.V., 1997 Participation at the international plein-airs “Waldinspirationen 3”, Goluchow/Poland, 2013
Regular exhibition activities in Germany and abroad with more than 100 solo
exhibitions and participation in group exhibitions