At first glance, these dynamic compositions—created with a palette knife—appear to contrast sharply with Posenenske’s later industrially produced sculptures. However, they reveal an early preoccupation with structure, rhythm, and process that remained central to her artistic evolution. Strongly influenced by her teacher Willi Baumeister and the École de Paris, Posenenske experimented with gestural abstraction, yet her approach already hinted at a mechanised detachment. Works such as Rasterbild (1956/57) display an almost systematic arrangement of black dots, evoking both the visual language of Mondrian and the perforated surfaces of Lucio Fontana’s Buchi. The speed and precision in her application of paint resonate with the calligraphic dynamism of Abstract Expressionism, while her palette-knife landscapes recall Cézanne’s structural approach to form.

The exhibition Anfänge der Form: Charlotte Posenenske auf Papier underscores the complexity of Posenenske’s early practice, in which the tension between gestural expression and depersonalised mark-making foreshadows her later transition into three-dimensional, participatory work. By revisiting these formative years, the Archiv Charlotte Posenenske encourages a deeper understanding of the artist’s systematic exploration of space—one that would ultimately redefine the boundaries between painting and sculpture.