Rosa Loy currently holds one of the few spaces in the New Leipzing School filled by a female painter in post-unification Germany. Her work dives deeply into the role of women, and the mysteriousness they’ve been assigned through history and art. Her evidently Romanticist inspiration is, at closer look, more rugged and less defined than its historical counterparts, mainly a result of her medium of choice, casein. The artist bravely takes on the female character into multi-layered narratives that more often than not contain a fantastical feature in it that both attach and detach the viewer from their reality. A pillar of contemporary feminist painters, Loy’s practice continues to astound and inspire the masses in an international scale. Read on to learn more about the artist, her background, and her inspiration.
Federation, 202, Casein on canvas, 47 1/4 x 39 3/8 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, and when did art first enter your life?
I came into contact with art for the first time at home and in kindergarten
Thoughts are Free, 2020, Casein on canvas, 43 1/4 x 35 3/8 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
Have you always painted in your current style?
There was a short time when I tried to paint abstractly. That was totally unsatisfactory. I felt dishonest
Move, 2020, Casein on canvas, 35 3/8 x 43 1/4 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
What does a day in the studio look like?
In my experience, a daily routine is extremely beneficial to my work. I start painting around 10 a.m., then 12-13.30 p.m. lunch break, reading, emails. Then another two hours at the easel, drinking coffee at 4pm and working until 6pm.
Chic, 2020, Casein on canvas, 51 1/8 x 59 1/8 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
Why do you think casein is the most successful medium to convey your work?
Casein is odorless and easy to mix. It’s also easy for me to handle. It’s leaner than oil paint. So I can still paint on casein with the oil paint go on it
My Dear Chimera, 2020, Casein on canvas, 43 1/4 x 35 3/8 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
Tell us about your creative process. How do you first start a work?
Most of the time I start with a thought note. I often think in pictures, so it’s easy to sketch something. Many small ideas lead to a picture. It is important that these ideas are available at a certain point in time.
In the Air, 2020, Casein on canvas, 59 1/8 x 39 3/8 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
From where do you draw inspiration?
Ideas lurk everywhere, in books, news stories, what I see on the roadside. Everything around me has an influence on me and my ideas. I also train in the studio to empty my mind and stay in this state for as long as possible. The ideas then flow into this vacuum. It’s really hard not to think about anything
Night in the Hair, 2020, Casein on canvas, 51 1/8 x 43 1/4 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
What are some larger questions you believe your work asks?
My question is how far can beauty be incorporated into painting without being kitschy. How many breaks and jumps does a picture need? How important is handicraft and where do I have to forget it? It is above all questions of painting that drive me.
Today I Will Cook, 2020, Watercolor on paper, 12 1/4 x 9 1/8 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
Does your work reference any Art Historical movements or individuals?
My pictures do not relate directly to art historical references or colleagues. I live in an area of Central Europe that has had a strong cultural tradition in many areas for centuries. This cultural humus naturally has an indirect influence on my work.
Elements, 2020, Watercolor on paper, 12 1/4 x 9 1/8 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
What’s next for you?
Next, I am preparing museum exhibitions in Germany, Korea and Finland. I also have regular exhibitions with my galleries. The next planned exhibition with the Kleindienst gallery in Leipzig. This weekend my exhibition “Everything stays different” at Lyles & King in New York comes to an end.
Everything In It, 2020, Casein on canvas, 51 1/8 x 43 1/4 inches, Courtesy of the Artist and Lyles & King
At the end of every interview, we like to ask the artist to recommend a friend whose work you love for us to interview next. Who would you suggest?
Ena Swansea, New York City