Artist`s Statement:
//classics
All artworks of the cycle of paintings “Classics” have one feature in common with the landscape and seascape painting of the old masters: here we often find either all three elements of the classic layout like sky, sea and beach or only sky and sea. This makes them classic in view of the layout, but the choosen formats are different from the classic proportions: squares, vertical formats, large scale formats. The large scales are mostly stretched on thick wooden bars so that they need no framing to match perfectly into modern interior designs.
Also in former centuries and up to now, paintings predominantly have been a statement of the art buyer or collector. But especially the traditional marine paintings had another intention of being what they are: marine paintings have been the only means to show historical events in pictures, when photography was not yet invented, like sea battles e.g. showing the power of a nation or just being narrative. The sea therewith has been an element of minor meaning in those paintings. Even in the impressing paintings of Caspar David Friedrich or Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky the sea has been mostly the scenery or setting and humans, their vessels, their destiny or whatever he used the sea for, has been the predominant message of those paintings.
The most characteristic feature of my cycle of paintings “Classics” is, that I uncompromisingly renounce other elements in my paintings that might remind the recipient of the existence of mankind and its destructive work on nature and the sea. Pure unspoiled representation of the element water with or without sky and land, being close in a special way to reality, sometimes even photorealistic, but still preserving the essential secrets of the oceans, its mystery – this is the essence of my Classics. In conjunction with the light from the sky, the refraction of light through breaking waves causing a large variety of halftones seen through my eyes, the feeling of freedom of endless horizons my artworks are also expression of my awe of creation and forces of nature connected with my deepest wish that more and more humans become aware of how elementary important it is, to do all we can to preserve and heal nature for the future generations of mankind and all species.
All artworks of this cycle of paintings are also created with glazing technic – the path to the finished artwork is a long process, from the drawing to the last highlight that I apply, it is all a creation of my hands and my inspiration, based on a long development of my observation, studies of the structures of the water surface, changing with the winds and light, colors in the morning or evening, in summer time or winter, the Atlantic, the North and Baltic Sea, Mediterranean sea or Pacific ocean, also the Persian Gulf have been my objects of endless observation. The fascination of deep awareness in observing with open eyes captures me until today. There is nothing digital, no photography or preprinted image on my canvases, just pure painting in the traditional way with a contemporary awareness and expression.