New additions to 2 ongoing series
I’ve been painting a lot lately. I’ve mainly been trying to work on a new series and it’s going well.
Today, however, I would like to present 2 new works that complement two series I’ve been working on for a while.
Gestural abstraction
A series that is particularly close to my heart is gestural expression. However, my progress in doing so is heavily dependent on how busy I am with practicing calligraphy. If I take longer breaks, I immediately notice how I’m missing this in the construction of the pictures. In this work, I tried to push the limits of what is (for me at the moment) possible with color. Unsurprisingly, Daoism plays a not insignificant role in my concept of gestural abstraction.
Abstract surrealism
Another series I’m in love with is abstract surrealism. It is an exciting challenge to combine abstraction with the realistic or to implement dreamlike visions in concrete terms.
I’ve made some progress with my painting technique, which makes abstracting more exciting. In addition, it reinforces the doubts of the experienced viewer as to what was painted consciously and what was created by chance. For those who are more advanced in the Daosimus, the question has already ceased to exist 🙂
It’s a series I’d like to follow for several years. The first work on this was: “Burning down the Snow“, which I painted 2 years ago. Some works are better, some not so much, but that doesn’t irritate me in any way, as long as I see that the “way forward” is fundamental.
extra:
I mentioned in my penultimate post that I had been invited to a video conference as a speaker. It was about a cultural project by Gansu Province. The whole thing was not very clear to me (and others) in advance, especially since I wasn’t asked to talk about any specific topic. Well: I was well prepared for the situation. I learned two main things from my dear friend, Ambassador Dr. Wolfgang Wolte, who sadly passed away. When working with an interpreter, this is of the utmost importance: Only what they say actually gets through to the listener.
So always only speak 2-3 sentences in a row and give the interpreter time to translate them well. And above all, clear content with a concise core statement on which the rest is based.
I was surprised by the number of participants here (no wonder, there was a fabulous buffet afterward), but also by the prominent cast among the Chinese interlocutors. But as so often most have tried to sell too much in too short a time. What was amazing, however, was the technical professionalism of the video conference. I expected the speakers to just sit in front of a video cam. Instead, it was an impressive multimedia staging.
the interpreter
The lady in the photo above is Prof. Wang Jing, the co-editor of the Theodor Storm book of poems that I recently illustrated. The book is now in stores and is very well received.
Incidentally, the above-mentioned picture “Burning down the Snow” can also be found in the said book.
What makes me particularly happy is that my rather modern and often dynamic and powerful pictures harmonize so well with 200-year-old poems or that the poems bring out the lyrical aspect of my work. Though my “illustrations” are independent works, some of them capture the core message of the poem quite well. For example:
From these leaves rises the scent of violets,
Which stood there at home in our heathen,
Year in and year out, of which no one knew,
And later I couldn’t find it anywhere.
related: a couple of new works | Wednesday again
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