Walter room

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Walter Raum (born December 2, 1923 in Hersbruck , † August 19, 2009 in Achmühle ) was a German painter and a characteristic representative of German post-war art.

Life

Raum was born in 1923 as the middle child of Michael Raum and Kunigunde Raum in the small town of Hersbruck in Middle Franconia. The parents ran a local painting business. After elementary school, Raum completed an apprenticeship as a decorative painter from 1938 to 1941 and took over the family business after his father's death in the spring of 1941.

In November 1941 the 17-year-old was drafted into military service. First deployed in the Air Force to secure airports in occupied France, he joined the army on the Western Front as an infantry sergeant at the end of 1944 . Wounded in April 1945 by machine gun fire in the Spessart , he was cared for by farmers and remained on their farm as an aid beyond the end of the war - until the summer of 1945. His brother Johannes fell in April 1945. The experience of death, agony and powerlessness of the Soldiers, delivered to the war machine and badly wounded, shaped his artistic work.

After the war, Raum began studying painting. First at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg with Hermann Wilhelm 1946–51, then at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe with Walter Becker 1951–52 and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich with Xaver Fuhr 1952–54.

From 1954, Raum worked as a freelance painter in Munich. First in a studio on Hohenwaldeckstrasse, from 1956 on Wilhelmstrasse. The participation in the 29th Venice Biennale in 1958 and the subsequent invitations to exhibitions of the post-war avant-garde meant the young painter significant recognition and confirmation of his artistic position.

In 1963 Raum married Christine Maier-Leibnitz. In 1965 the couple bought a house not far from Lake Starnberg in Achmühle, in the Upper Bavarian Loisach Valley, which served as an apartment and studio until the artist's death. 1967 son Tobias was born. As a father, in order not to forego artistic work outside of the studio, Raum began to draw intensively. Initially an aid, later as a consciously chosen medium, the drawing became substantial for the entire work.

A two-year teaching position for art education at the University of Munich marked the years 1973-75.

In the three decades that followed, an extensive work of medium and large-format pictures was created in the seclusion of the studio.

In May 2008, the 84-year-old painter fell seriously ill. A year later, Raum died in his home in Achmühle.

plant

For space, painting was the appropriation of the world; it served to recognize and explore the meaningfulness of human existence. It was his self-assertion in the face of a skeptical worldview. This is largely based on his painful experiences in the war and the intensive occupation with the philosophy of existentialism . In Raum, perceived powerlessness is to be understood both in a real historical and in a metaphysical context. The feeling of nothingness of the human being, as being thrown into the world, can only counteract the creative, formative force - the artistic formulation as the painter's assertion.

The choice of color and material as well as the language of forms in the work of Raum are a consistent expression of lifelong engagement with existential issues. In this way it is also to be understood that the pictorial inventions of the late 1950s were repeatedly reformulated and resulted in a logic inherent in the overall artistic work.

The first phase of Raum's work was strongly influenced by Informel , painting is non-representational, gestural and expressive. The early successes - such as his participation in the Venice Biennale in 1958 - meant that his confident, informal handwriting was enriched with new forms of expression in order to be able to show his artistic concerns even more authentically. Painting became more object-like. Material pictures with pastose paint, earthy tones, sand and textile show enigmatic landscapes.

From 1965 experimental canvas works with pure colors and characters refer to the longing for lightness and spontaneity. Objects appear in the picture, but the composition remains abstract.

In the period from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s, drawing was a main medium in Raum's artistic creation. It is an autonomous work of art, concept sketch and design element. In the works on paper, too, Raum retains the dynamic flow of his painting, but completely dispenses with color. Targets and bullets show the ongoing threat to human existence. Frequently used motifs such as closed doors, windows and walls symbolize distress and tightness, instead of protection and security, they increase the impression of the uncomfortable.

In the series of 'Wundbilder' in 1983 the intensive painterly examination of the experiences of war in the depiction of wounding and death took place. Image motifs and colors allow associations with injured bodies, blood and death. When the Gulf War broke out in 1991 , Raum responded with the series “Days of Golf”. In the group of works "The Painter's Power" 1991–92 he dealt with the nullity of humans.

The situation of the artist in the seclusion of the workshop themed space in the 'Atelierbilder' 1985–1998. Painting utensils, personal items and your own clothes are assembled in the large formats - Walter Raum, the artist, is the same with his work.

In almost all creative periods Raum repeatedly used scriptural elements. Their function varies: writing as a text fragment, writing as calligraphy supports the design. In terms of content, Hölderlin's Hyperion finds a direct entry into the painterly work (picture cycle “ But us is given ... ” 1998/99).

An equally recurring element of his visual language is the use of collaged newspaper clippings as a trace of the outside world and as a document of contemporary events.

In his late work, space is drawn from the totality of personal and artistic experience: “Today I no longer have any role models. I am my role model myself. "

Walter Raum: About my work

On the occasion of the artist's 80th birthday in 2003, the Städtische Galerie Rosenheim organized a retrospective. In the book accompanying the exhibition, Raum said:

“Making existential backgrounds visible is what I'm about as a painter. It is my very personal conditionalities in life that come up in my imagery.

Enclosed between birth and death, our life unfolds as a series of actions and fateful events over which we can only partially influence. This results in 'world and life experiences' and their mental processing. Feelings, sensitivities and moods further determine our being. It is my endeavor to make this visible. Painting is the means to this end, the pictures are the results.

They arise from partly conscious and partly unconscious actions. Heads, hands, characters and other symbols as well as newspaper clippings from the day the picture was created and picture elements that I think make my intention visible. Ultimately, I am also not aware of the exact meaning of each picture, beyond what is superficially represented. The pictures are created intuitively with a partly unconscious background, corresponding to a basic mood that was present in me at the time they were created. Impressions of meaninglessness and hopelessness in life may help determine this background. Much else will be effective. I cannot and do not want to analyze it exactly .

Maybe my pictures are nothing more than a sign of 'I am', as an assertion in life. This results in the need to keep taking new pictures that have my being-in-the-world and its changes as their content. This is where I see my job as a painter. "

Works in museums and public collections

Works in public space

  • Evangelical Lutheran Kreuzkirche Eschenbach, glass window design, 1962
  • Technical University of Munich - Institute for Mechanical Engineering, stairwell: glass window together with Rupprecht Geiger , Fritz Harnest and Reinhard Omir , 1964
  • Erlöserkirche Bayreuth, stained glass window design, 1966
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peace Dietfurt, glass window design, 1969

Prizes and awards

Memberships

Solo exhibitions (selection)

  • 1958 Old Botanical Garden Pavilion , Munich
  • 1959 Hella Nebelung Gallery , Düsseldorf
  • 1961 Zimmergalerie Franck, Frankfurt am Main
  • 1981 Art Association Nuremberg Albrecht Dürer Society , Nuremberg
  • 1984 Bernd Dürr Gallery, Munich
  • 1986 Municipal Gallery, Rosenheim
  • 1986 Secession Gallery, Munich
  • 1988 Kunstverein Gauting
  • 1989 Association for Original Etching, Munich
  • 1994 Galerie Bernd Dürr, Munich (with Jürgen von Hündeberg)
  • 1995 New Gallery Landshut
  • 1995 Art Association Augsburg
  • 1997 Kunsthaus Nürnberg
  • 1998 Rosenheim Art Association
  • 1999 Rathausgalerie, Munich
  • 2003 “Weg zu mir, Arbeit 1958–2003”, Städtische Galerie Rosenheim
  • 2005 Otto Gallery, Munich
  • 2009 Rosenheim Art Association
  • 2010 Old Botanical Garden Pavilion, Munich
  • 2017 Galerie Bernd Dürr, Munich (with Jürgen von Hündeberg)
  • 2019 Catholic Academy Bavaria, Munich

Group exhibitions (selection)

Regular participation in the exhibitions of the German Association of Artists and the Great Art Exhibition in the Haus der Kunst , Munich.

Literature (selection)

  • Lexicons and collections:
    • Room, Walter. In: General Artist Lexicon. The visual artists of all times and peoples (AKL), Volume 98, P. 1, De Gruyter Verlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-11-023264-6
    • Supreme building authority Munich: image - building - work of art . Bruckmann, Munich 1990, pp. 160-161, ISBN 978-3-7654-2308-6
  • Eberhard Hanfstaengl : "L'art Contemporain Allemand", Lyon 1958
  • Wolfgang Petzet: "Possibilities and Limits of Informel", Die Kunst 1959
  • Franz Roh : "German painting from 1900 - today" 2nd edition, Bruckmann Verlag 1962
  • Franz Roh : “On contemporary art in Germany”, Salon Comparaisons catalog, Paris 1964
  • Gerhard Mammel: "Walter Raum as a draftsman", Kat. Albrecht Dürer Ges. Nürnberg, 1981
  • Michael Langer: Walter Raum - Marion von Boetticher: Pictures 83/84. Introductory text, Galerie Bernd Dürr, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-927872-22-9
  • Cornelia Stabenow: "Painting as steadfastness", Die Kunst 9/1984
  • Doris Schmidt: "Painting is not a festival". On the pictures by Walter Raum, SZ, February 18, 1986, p. 11
  • Ludger Busch: “The I staged”. The imagery of Walter Raum, Kat. Städt. Gal. Rosenheim, 1986
  • Wolfgang Längfeld: "Black pictures without resignation", catalog "existential", Munich 1994
  • Berghild Dürr: Avant-garde of the 50s / 60s. Jürgen von Hündeberg / Walter Raum. Introductory text, Galerie Bernd Dürr, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-927872-13-X
  • Andreas Kühne , " Picture Objects-Object Pictures ", Catalog Kunsthaus Nürnberg 1997, ISBN 3-9804693-4-4
  • Wilhelm Warning: "In the beginning was the picture", catalog exhibition Kunstverein Rosenheim 1998, ISBN 3-9804693-4-4
  • Hannah Stegmayer: "Texts and scriptural elements in the work of Walter Raum", exhibition catalog Rathausgalerie Munich 1999, ISBN 3-00-004865-0
  • Walter Raum: “Way to me. Work 1958–2003 ”, artist book, catalog exhibition Rosenheim, 2003, ISBN 3-9808555-8-9
  • Walter Frei (Ed.): “Picturesque heritage between Isar and Loisach”, Hirmer Verlag, Munich, 2018, ISBN 978-3-7774-3212-0
  • Tobias Raum, in: Wolfgang Borchert: Outside in front of the door - Walter Raum Wund-Bilder, Edwin Kunz Editions 2018; ISBN 978-3-00-060527-7

In the media

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ according to the information in Simm, Franz (editor): Bildwerk - Bauwerk - Artwork . Ed .: Bavarian supreme building authority. Verlag Bruckmann, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-7654-2308-4 , p. 321 .
  2. ↑ Cf. Anikó Szalay: Walter Raum in: Allgemeine Künstlerlexikon (AKL) . Ed .: De Gruyter Verlag. tape 98 , 2017, ISBN 978-3-11-023264-6 , pp. 1 .
  3. ↑ See Wilhelm Warning: “The image of man in the works of Walter Raum, in Walter Raum: Weg zu mir. Works 1958-2003 . Eurasburg 2003, ISBN 3-9808555-8-9 , pp. 62 ff .
  4. ↑ See Hannah Stegmayer: Walter Raum and his artistic context, in Walter Raum: Weg zu mir. Works 1958-2003 . Eurasburg 2003, ISBN 3-9808555-8-9 , pp. 17 .
  5. ^ A b Michael Langer: Walter Raum - Marion von Boetticher: Pictures 83/84, introductory text. Ed .: Galerie Bernd Dürr. Munich 1984, ISBN 3-927872-22-9 ( galerie-bernd-duerr.de ).
  6. ↑ Cf. Andreas Kühne: Texts and scriptural elements as pictorial objects, in Walter Raum: Weg zu mir. Works 1958-2003 . Eurasburg 2003, ISBN 3-9808555-8-9 , pp. 108 ff .
  7. ↑ Walter Raum - Weg zu mir , at galerie.rosenheim.de, accessed on December 17, 2018
  8. ↑ Otto Gallery exhibitions , from www.otto-galerie.de, accessed on December 17, 2018
  9. ↑ Press release VBK Honorary Exhibition Walter Raum 1923–2009 , at www.kunstpavillon.org, accessed on December 17, 2018
  10. ^ Walter Raum, Avant-garde of the 50s / 60s
personal data
SURNAME Room, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German artist
DATE OF BIRTH December 2, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Hersbruck
DATE OF DEATH August 19, 2009
Place of death Achmühle