Viewers of Gelbert's paintings are made privy to the volcanic energies that have become manifested within them, a sheer delight in rich and at times flamboyant colors which flow out of them, become blurred, form clouds, vortices, and striations. Fantastical spaces emerge in his works, artificial worlds which are neither illustrations of existing sites nor subjective interior spaces. And what may for some appear to be ecstatic is due not only to spontaneous impulses, but also to calculation and discipline.
As with calligraphies in the spirit of Zen, the impression of spontaneity and intensity presupposes a maximum degree of self-control. (Excerpt from: Hans-Walter Schmidt, Les Paradis Artificiels)
Text excerpt from: "Ralph Gelbert – Beyond The Visible", 2018, KEHRER Verlag