Oil on a printed magazine about wine, painted in 2002. This work brings together three Audi appearances in one image: the aged green Audi 80 at left, the same model again as a dark rear view at lower right, and above it the familiar front of an Audi 100 in its typical metallic beige. The cars do not sit clearly apart, but drift through one another like layered memories of a period in Audi design. A beloved little picturesque detail is the windscreen wiper grows out of former letters, and the Audi logo rings seem to loosen with age like the owners of that today rare model. Painted over a wine magazine, the whole image feels matured rather than polished.
The Car Portraits 2001–2010
The Car Portraits (2001–2010) is a long-term body of work created over roughly a decade: paintings made directly onto found printed media (magazines, catalogs, advertisements). Each piece is a one-off physical work; this token is the studio edition release of the motif. Lytke creates his paintings by working directly on photographs or printed matter, generating a distinctive interplay between painting and photography. Characterised by a restrained use of colour and isolated, objective elements, his works evoke openness and transformation. They offer a subtle commentary on the relationship between image and representation in contemporary culture, while challenging the conventions of media imagery by infusing them with a more art-historical significance. The Car Portraits, oil or later acrylic on pulp, comprise over hundred works primarily created between 2001 and 2010.. All digital versions reflect the character and size of the original works – some of which are miniature pieces, painted in formats smaller than a matchbox.