detail Rheingold painting by friedrich zettl,

only one picture this time….

…..but with real gold

Ok, not so much gold that the picture would gain in value 😊


It’s not that I haven’t painted a lot lately, but I’m making slower progress than usual. Some of the work is almost finished and then, only small things are missing, I break off. Once out of the flow, it’s difficult to pick up where you left off the day before.

So today I’m only showing one work. It ties in stylistically with the “dream sequences” that I presented recently.

Rheingold painting by friedrich zettl

I tried to refine the narrative aspect and gain more space.

detail Rheingold painting 奥地利画家老蔡

Chinese calligraphy (a poem by Zhu Yunming (Chinese: 祝允明 1461–1527) emphasizes the decorative aspect.

detail Rheingold painting by friedrich zettl,

At the same time, I’m also trying to move forward with a topic on which I’ve only taken a few hesitant steps: the world of opera.

As always, I’m not interested in illustrating, but in going into certain aspects of the composer or into the scenic aspects of the opera. Though operas by Wagner would logically only make sense at a later point in time I still thought that Rheingold would be a good start.

What fascinated me about Richard Wagner right from the start is his concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (the total conception of art) and then his themes: Not only his protagonists but also objects such as Siegfried’s sword Nothung have been assigned as musical themes by Wagner. Translating these thoughts into my painting would be an exciting task. Maybe I’ll use the summer months to get further.

I have previously dealt with the topic of Valhalla and with it the downfall of the “superstructure”, of power, of dominance thinking, and posted about it HERE. So I only need to fill in the space between Rheingold and Götterdämmerung 🙂


bonus

This link below is intended as a little extra: someone has combined my work on the subject of the sea or water into a video clip. Not as exciting as my last presentation, but useful for the project.


related post: Gold, History, Friends, Good Bye Beijing, hello Chongqing

Comments

27 responses to “only one picture this time….”

  1. aparna12 avatar
    aparna12

    Beautiful pic.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you very much!

  2. Mike U. avatar

    Viewing this painting feels like a spiritual experience. I’ve always been drawn to colors (hence my pursuit of color nature photography rather than b&w) and the color palette here is mesmerizing. Such depth. How I wish I could read Chinese! Your work leaves me in such a calm, contemplative state, and I find myself searching each painting for something just beyond my conscious thought. There’s something elusive there. It’s amazing. Also, I had no idea you have a YouTube channel until I read this post. You have a new subscriber. 🙂 Fascinating post, Friedrich. 🙂

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thanks for your friendly words! Yes, I thought to myself that you might be able to relate to the picture, since our efforts – photography for you, painting for me – go in a similar direction, namely the representation of the contemplative. My youtube channel is just beginning and I’m not sure if this is just a flash in the pan 🙂 Thanks for subscribing!

  3. swabby429 avatar

    I’m trying to envision how your Wagnerian project might unfold. I’m sure that whatever you create will be epic.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you! Maybe it will only be epic nonsense 😄 But hey, some consider Wagner operas generally as epic nonsense……

  4. Auden James avatar

    I’m excited to see where you will take it from here! The one picture you shared this time really has a haunting quality to it. And the use of gold in painting—isn’t that a tried and true Viennese tradition since the times of the Secession?

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thanks! Yes, the secessionists used a lot of gold, from Otto Wagner to Klimt. And they copied that from the Japanese.

  5. Nancy Richy avatar

    Lovely pix and entertaining post. FYI – could be me but thought I’d mention there seems to be a problem with your “Likes” option loading. You might want to check it out.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you so much; Nancy Richy, for both your kind words and your heads up on “Likes”. I got used to the fact that no one likes me 🙂 (Seriously, I know and have contacted support but they say all should be fine).

      1. Nancy Richy avatar

        😂 😂 😂

  6. Rosaliene Bacchus avatar

    I love your dreamscape. There’s a lot of undercurrents of conflicting emotions, some seeking prominence as shown in the detail of the right segment. The video clip of your sea and water paintings is well rendered, showcasing your mastery at depicting the beauty, movement, and power of water.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you very much for your kind words! They mean a lot to me. All the best!

  7. Martha Kennedy avatar

    I was driving home from school one night and the radio played “Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt” and I was instantly enchanted. It would be inspiring to paint to that.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Ha! And then the end of Tristan. With Kirsten Flagstad.

  8. Sue Grey-Smith avatar

    I love the watery depths of your work – and the gold calligraphy adds an intriguing layer.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you very much! I am happy to get such a kind reply from a great artist!

  9. wolkenbeobachterin avatar

    ich habe mir gerade das video angeschaut. sehr viele schöne “traumhafte” bilder. vielfältig, gefällt mir sehr. interessant empfand ich es, wie der kopf versucht, sich im bild zu orientieren, “etwas” zu erkennen. und dies auch fast immer gelang.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Danke fuer Ihre freundlichen Worte! Ja, dieses Thema zieht sich durch meine Arbeiten der letzten Jahre: nicht absolut abstrakte Bilder zu malen, sondern vielmehr dem Betrachter, der Betrachterin Inhalte zu suggerieren, die dann aber gleichzeitig hinterfragt werden. Im Idealfall: Es sieht aus als ob, hat fast photorealistische Qualitaet – und ist dennoch nicht greifbar.

  10. annieasksyou avatar

    Positively dreamy!

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you very much for your kind words! Yes, dreaming along 😄

  11. graham mcquade avatar

    I certainly get a sense of the ethereal in your painting; of drifting in a tidal flow There is a sense to me of liquidity about it.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thanks! Of course, as a great painter, you are absolutely correct. The Daoist idea that everything is in flux, that we never step into the same flux, and above all that the relationship between opposites makes this philosophical expression possible.

  12. Ana Hernandez avatar

    Dear Friedrich Zettl,

    I love your new piece. While the calligraphy suggests surface, it contrasts beautifully with the depth of the other images. Once again, it suggests to me the flow of waters- metaphorical and actual.
    A LIbrary Rat

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you very much, dear Ana Harnandez, for your kind words! Yes, you see it quite correctly. Underlying the whole concept of this painting, of course, is the Daoist idea that everything is in flux. And that everything is vague and yet we always think we recognize something….

  13. rabirius avatar

    The colour composition is so great. I really like how forms and colours act together.

    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar

      Thank you very much! Your kind words mean much to me.

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