You do not see what you think you see

It is not very long ago that the world of art knew a near dichotomy between artists who made unrecognizable, autonomous works of art and those artists who painted according to reality. While this struggle has diminished in the meantime, it is nevertheless unusual that we encounter both styles by one artist. Thomas Miller is one of the few artists who makes both abstract and figurative paintings

In this sense the work of Thomas Miller is even more remarkable as we can detect even both styles within one painting.Miller's paintings cannot be categorized under one definite trend of art and it is because of this phenomenon that his work is so intriguing. He does not care much about the art market nor specific trends in art. He avails himself of an extensive and thereby also chaotic scale of artistic options of painting. In a certain sense, Miller's independent position is due to the fact that he was, until recently, only artist in his leisure time. Miller was not accountable for his paintings to anyone, while he was working in the advertising world in Brazil and later employed by the chemical giant BASF in Austria. Unhindered by time pressure nor under obligation by gallery owners, he was working on an impressive oeuvre and exhibited his paintings parsimoniously. A few years ago he organized a big exhibition in The Netherlands and a few months later he was able to exhibit a similar number of other paintings in Switzerland

It was then very obvious that he created many paintings around specific themes. His manner of painting is often closely related to such a theme. This can be expressive, for example, or on the contrary very illustrative. The power of Miller's work is in essence that his paintings have a totally unique style. Miller does not only want to show a specific theme or concept, but at the same time he searches in the process of painting for the best visualization of such a specific concept. The design is congruent with the inherent idea. Millers is a master of the painting technique in smallest detail. Thanks to this foundation he acquires the freedom to let go of sheer technique and is thus able to work sometimes from deep sentiment . This accords a fascinating tension to his paintings

Without a preconceived plan by Millers himself, his work can be subdivided into a number of themes. He works for a considerable time on the development of such a theme, a process which can take years. It is almost impossible to analyze Miller's oeuvre to the extreme. Just as Millers has his inspiration to create a painting, so shall the visitors let their feelings run random when viewing the paintings. Miller's work leaves enough 'breath' to allow people to release their own interpretation. Miller does not use a singular, linear narrative, but he implicitly searches for a structure where different storylines can intertwine and diverse combinations are possible. He offers options and wants to challenge the viewer to compose his/her own story amidst an abundance of association

In any case, it is clear that Millers never starts painting out of the blue. This is evident when looking at his figurative paintings. However haphazardly the various 'pictures' seem to be composed on the canvas, there is a certain logic. Miller's work originates from a theme. A concept, and this he elaborates on in a series. He has probably over the years built up an archive of images, which is crammed with the most varied pictures. Such a picture is the result of a search for the visualization of an idea. Once Miller has found the different pictures, he then paints the various objects on the canvas inculcating the final dimension of the total image. A small object, such as a goldfish, he magnifies enormously, whereby it can compare itself with another object.In order to emphasize that the painting is a conglomeration of different images, he hardly endeavours to create a fictitious space. The canvas itself is the depth and thus there is no suggestion of space. The lack of space in the painting thus evokes imaginative space. Thus, the background is not actually a background, but reinforces – through shape and colour -, the connection between the different objects. The pictures are painted very painstakingly, whereby the emphasis naturally points to the relationship between the different objects. The way of painting in this figurative work is rather dry, almost analytical. It is sometimes difficult to believe that the objects are really painted by hand and not just copied mechanically. Sometimes also indefinable objects are emerging – abstract – shapes, which demonstrate the process of painting itself. Particularly in these shapes it is visible how splendidly Miller masters the art of painting. As mentioned before, Millers has made a lot of abstract work besides his figurative paintings. It is not easy to find meaning in the abstract work, as there is no clear picture painted which could give us a handle on the interpretation of the painting. However, we can imagine shapes which direct our thoughts, - for instance barking dogs, or tables with their own characteristics. In combination with warm hues in all sorts of colour schemes, they seem to refer to warm countries like Mexico, or even Brazil, a country where Miller has lived and worked for a considerable period of his life.

Unmistakably these paintings also endeavour to convey something. If it is not a story, then it is a certain sentiment Naturally it is not evident in which way all his paintings can evoke emotions, but it is related to colours, the shapes which were used ánd the way in which Millers is painting. s In a measured way he fills one part of the canvas with straight lines, while he allows a free course of the paintbrush on the other half. In this part his emotions seem to take over while the paint even spills over the edge of the canvas in an unpredictable manner. Miller scratches also in the wet paint and superimposes in quick strokes new layers of paint. He repeats this process several times until the painting is 'finished' or the artist is exhausted. It is an intuitive and fascinating search for the interaction of shapes, colours and layers of colours. Such a painting has acquired an enormous depth which isn't only visible but also tangible. These are frozen emotions, still thoughts.A painting by Millers has a great aesthetic quality, but it also has an unmistakably meaningful side to it. It is clear that even only a small hint can be important to grasp the meaning of his paintings

The series 'Internetpictures' give an idea of the storytelling way of Thomas Miller. Those who have searched for information on the internet know that it is hardly possible to find the correct information without wanderings. Very often attention is diverted by other, undoubtedly interesting websites which have to be clicked on. Before you know where you are, you have forgotten what you were looking for. But in the meantime, one has gathered all sorts of information in an unstructured, almost surrealistic way. In this way one could look at Millers paintings, through a collection of objects which are in one way or another are connected with each other. One could say that he stops this continuous stream of pictures which races over the computer screen momentarily in his painting and subsequently tries to find meaning for these. Millers gives structure to his paintings by starting with a restricted number of elements. In the series 'Internetpictures' something organic has been painted, for instance an animal or a leaf. Representations of old pictures take care of the storytelling element and other objects depict 'Business', as Miller has described himself. Behind each object hides a meaning which is generally accepted and this makes it clear why a painting can be seen as an elaboration of an idea or a concept. An underlying story is almost tangible but nowhere is this really made clear

The painting 'Mariahilferstrasse' (Mariahelpstreet) of the same series, is also built up of elements which are both figurative and abstract. This painting can be considered as a metaphor of the Mariahilfestrasse, a well known shopping street in Vienna. This street has also relatively many independent shops besides the big shopping malls . Is the green, amorphic mass which hangs so very unstable in a trapeze, a threat or rather a challenge for the local middle class? It is in any case clear that the rather laid-back atmosphere which is illustrated by elegant ladies wearing a hat, and the corner with old-fashioned decent armchairs, shall change very quickly. You get lost unwittingly in the stories of his paintings, but that isn't so bad. Thomas Miller gives ample room for more stories and that is rather on purpose

In his series 'Erzähl eine Lüge' (tell a lie) he is painting one object per canvas. Because he has painted the objects in a very realistic manner a mountain, a person draped in a cloth, a chair, an old-fashioned manikin, a wooden duck and a girl with a travel bag -, there is no room for more interpretations. A chair is a chair. But just because of the somewhat strange combination of objects, one tries to discover links between the paintings and to invent stories. Everyone shall have thought of different stories because there is no such thing as the real truth. Each version of the story is true and yet untrue

Everyone tells a lie.You do not see what you think you see

Oscar van der Wijk, Gouda, Netherland