Biography

Looking Back on My Artistic Spirit

In 1953, I graduated from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. After eight years’ study of applied and fine arts, I was never in a position that inspired me to paint in the same style successively, one painting after another. True, I produced with some intervals paintings with considerable content but no series of explorative work that would show my commitment as something that had inspired me to paint with any kind of obsession, as one reads about dedicated artists of the past.

   I was of the opinion that whatever I would produce should, if possible, further man’s culture as a whole; perhaps lay my building-stone to others as useful before me. Moreover, I would be satisfied to contribute something meaningful to society.

   Andy Warhol put it later as follows: “An artist is someone who produces things that people don’t need to have but that he – for some reason – thinks it would be a good idea to give them”. Contemplating about what Warhol offered to the public, voicing his intention sounds odd. At the same time, he definitely did not want to give them what anyone possibly wished to have, which is within the creative spirit, and I never could have agreed more. So, having this sort of noble but also commercially useless idea at the base of my career, in coming to Canada in 1958, it was also my dream to catch up at the first opportunity with much of lost time and explore my talents, to see if I had any.

Up to now, within my formal training, I composed drawings or paintings that were of social nature. All themes, problems or experiences we as humans, creative or not, encounter, are ancient confrontations; they only vary slightly in time with changing cultures, sometimes with strong religious undertone.  Still, generally, leaving the technical aspect aside, there is nothing new under the sun. The only innovative feature, when it comes to art, is that form and expression will change, sometimes within centuries, other times within a generation, and lately much faster.

This new interpretation of an old theme that makes us rethink in broader terms, used up clichés, as love – hate, life – death. Those alterations, newly dressed, ancient properties, have gone under the much used but so little creative word STYLE. Because style could mean an expression or interpretation of a subject that is stagnant, in limbo, repetitive, or could mean that the presentation or discourse of a subject in question is unlike another expression, an updated language, or open dimensions and insight to an ancient, abused subject anew.

Generally, most artists, writers, poets, painters, sculptors, composers (musicians) have built their language on themes handed down to them. Nevertheless, it is a most individualistic undertaking and much of the forms they change will depend on commercial aspects.  That is, social success of a Style, or to satisfy a commission, might prevent an artist to move on and expand. In any event, back to myself, this was never my intention.

My interest and drive lay in changing the media as well as forms over the years. It began as a representational interpretation with a slight cubistic-decorative inclination, greatly related to my studies. Consequently, the many changes in my work excluded me from a commercial career and later even galleries. Generally, the ruling art world accepts stylistic diversity only from acknowledged artists. I have no regrets because the way I conducted my creative years was my own choice within my limitations.

By definition, I am an Amateur painter, whatever that means. This website is mainly to share the creative output of my thoughts and explorative mind. Some further insight into my thinking one may find later posted in my blog.