David Schnell: Hover

Leipzig-based David Schnell, who studied at the Art Academy of Leipzig, creates paintings that unsettle our sense of perception with their odd use of perspective and irrational architectural elements. In "Hochbahn" (2001), a highway overpass stretches above a scenic marsh with trees in the distance. The overpass comes, seemingly out of the canvas, straight at us--only to break apart unexpectedly before reaching its vanishing point. Schnell, with his reliance on foreshortening and his attention to detail in the landscapes that form his backgrounds, blends traditional architectural drafting techniques with more realistic classical painting aesthetics. As this monograph reveals, his works hinge on the use of central perspective, which is prominent in Renaissance art and which causes the horizon to become the most important element in the painting, both in terms of composition and content.