"Max Frintrop is a young German abstract painter to watch according to Lorna York, the experienced California art dealer. York stated to represent him exclusively in the U.S. and in late 2024 staged a show of his work at the gallery, alongside Donald Martiny. 'Max studied under the German painter Albert Oehlen in Düsseldorf and his work is much sought after already by European museums and collectors - he is part of the next generation of abstract artists in Europe, following Gerhard Richter and Albert Oehlen,' York says.
The subject of his paintings is painting itself - the work is about art materials and techniques and relationships between arrangements of forms and colors on canvas. 'The networks of brightly colored lines that dominate his paintings operate like conduits of energy, shuttling the eye back and forth across the painting's surface, invoking for me a relationship to the Constructivist painting tradition,' York explains.
She attributes much of the success and allure of the work to Frintrop's idiosyncratic painting technique. 'His paintings took a huge leap forward when he developed the innovative technique of spraying and spreading ink through a broom-like device, often requiring him to work quickly and skillfully since every decision he makes with the quick-drying ink immediately sets in stone and cannot be undone,' York says. 'The results are complex, difficult visual masterpieces.'"
The subject of his paintings is painting itself - the work is about art materials and techniques and relationships between arrangements of forms and colors on canvas. 'The networks of brightly colored lines that dominate his paintings operate like conduits of energy, shuttling the eye back and forth across the painting's surface, invoking for me a relationship to the Constructivist painting tradition,' York explains.
She attributes much of the success and allure of the work to Frintrop's idiosyncratic painting technique. 'His paintings took a huge leap forward when he developed the innovative technique of spraying and spreading ink through a broom-like device, often requiring him to work quickly and skillfully since every decision he makes with the quick-drying ink immediately sets in stone and cannot be undone,' York says. 'The results are complex, difficult visual masterpieces.'"
