Almost – A Monumental Figurative Work by Claus Bertermann

Almost Acrylic and oil crayon on canvas 200 × 180 cm 2026 Sometimes what matters most is not what happens — but what almost happens. Almost holds that suspended moment. A figure lies within the space. Not dramatic. Not narrative. Neither fully present nor withdrawn. The body exists, but it is not fully resolved. It feels as if something is about to shift — but remains still. Process This work belongs to my figurative practice, which I approach differently from my abstract paintings. The background is created with acrylic applied using a paint roller. The movement of the arm becomes broader, less controlled, more physical. Large gestures replace detail. The figure is then drawn with oil crayon. The line does not obediently follow the painted surface beneath it. It cuts across it. It asserts itself. Unlike my abstract works, I do not scrape away layers here. Nothing is removed. The decisions remain visible. Scale At 200 × 180 cm, "Almost" has a physical presence that cannot be translated through images alone. The figure is not something you look at from a distance — it confronts you. The scale demands space. It demands quiet. It invites a slower kind of attention. Why “Almost”? Because the work is not about completion. It is about proximity. Almost movement. Almost touch. Almost certainty. Almost.