Barabara Meiler’s paintings are created on the basis of experience, thrilling in their sensitivity, touching in their emotionality. In them, intensive examinations of the figurative, every-day experiences and archaic motives are combined into a gripping entity.

The figure constitutes the primary focus of her painting, also in her more liberal works. Her palette of colors is dominated by soft tones in blue, orange, ochre and yellow. In some of her painting methods, Barbara Meiler flanks differentiated dark tones with light accents. Here, we directly experience how the painter allows herself to be guided by a passionate search for "being".

Barbara Meiler’s paintings exhibit a poetic examination not only on the surface, but also with the permeability embodied by the manifold color layers.

Michael Siegel
Master pupil of the Städel School, Frankfurt/Main


In the work of Barbara Meiler, Sylphids, fire elementals, salamanders, undines an mother earth figures draw on origins in the mythology. As an embodiment of natural forces, they symbolize both the material and mental principal of the four elements. In addition to this symbolism, natural observation and empathy towards the optically perceived as well as the inclusion of her emotionality in her characteristic style and coloring support the expressiveness of her paintings.

Barbara Meiler does not seek to render nature, rather provide the imagination of the view with enough room for associations.For this reason, we bestows the elements, which are not bound to fixed forms, with a form by means of a semi-abstract pictorial language. Nothing is permanent and everything is in flux. In this way, the figurative renditions are linked to abstract ideas and that which just appeared vital can turn to stone, transform to flowing water or radiant light.

That in a constant state of transformation, the fragmented is the actual content comprising much other work. Also in the nude drawings of a model, the proportions are not forced into fixed contours. The constand fluctuations in movement, gestures and expression appear to interest Barbara Meiler and be emulated in her drawings. She attributes particular significance to the female body. She features it for its own will as a central theme, however it may also symbolize occurrences in nature or serves as a metaphor for the problematic nature of inter-personal relations as in the undine paintings. In this way, the complex realm of ideas belonging to Barbara Meiler is divided into the merely suggested, not definite or not yet definite and this in turn constitutes the appeal of her paintings.

Dr. Roswitha Nees
Arthistorian