Friedrich Zettl

Recent exhibitions

After participating in exhibitions in London (Boomer Gallery) at the beginning of May 2024 and Sao Paolo (Imaginarium Exhibition) 25 May - 08 June 2024, another gallery shows 7 works by me, metaspace gallery. This is an online exhibition called “Silence”.

Boomer Gallery, 150 Tooley Street, SE1 2TUMay 10th – 15th Exhibition title: “The Dark Side”.

Artly Mix - Rua Pelotas - Vila Mariana, São Paulo - State of São Paulo, Brazil05/25 – 06/18 Exhibition title: Imaginarium Exhibition https://www.artlymix.com

Metaspacegallery https://metaspacegallery.com 

Started May 25th 2024 ongoing. Exhibition title: Silence

All three galleries did a great job.

A new work has been added: Zen In Calligraphy. Zen in Calligraphy is part of a series that I call painted calligraphy. This art form, which I developed, is about writing Chinese texts, mostly poems, over and over again until a structure and then gradually visions emerge. These are the result of carefully written calligraphy, confident brush, and ink techniques, in which gray tones play a special role.

It was written with self-grinded Chinese ink, which allows for fine gray tones. This creates an additional level where the lightest gray to the deepest black meet.

When doing this calligraphy, an attempt was made to remain contemplative and not to strive for anything conceptual. The textures came naturally. The short video shows how Zen in Calligraphy was created. After each level, a detail of the final stage is shown.

youtube-video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw16qu6aWcA

I am happy to announce that Bacopa Publishing has presented a video with pictures of me showing my paintings of the underwater world. It is a compilation of works on a topic that I have particularly devoted myself to over the last 3 years. I approached various aspects of the sea and diving in an abstract and semi-abstract manner. 

Most of the works are influenced by Asian philosophy.

It is recommended to watch the video on a PC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLPQKPnMS4

Black Zen. Today, I would like to present a work that is part of a series called “painted calligraphy”. 

These contemporary works are inspired by traditional Chinese calligraphy and are philosophically influenced by the ideas of Zen Buddhism and Daoism. 

In these works, old texts, mostly poems, are written over one another again and again in different ways to create a texture with artistic appeal or a poetic touch. Each character is written with the greatest care, and the rhythm is maintained to ensure the highest quality. Although the finished product may appear monotonous at first glance, it reveals secrets and invites you to meditate. Through disciplined precision when writing each individual character, an overall picture is created that is characterized by harmony, even if the work could initially be perceived as chaotic.

The Daoist aspect primarily involves playing with the opposites yin and yang. This achieves a result in which silence and noise are present at the same time as dynamism and calm, big and small or chaos and order. 

Music plays an important role in the creation of these works. In this specific case, the work was performed to music by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.

This short video shows how the work was created [youtube-video]

Among the categories of Friedrich Zettl’s works shown here on artmajeur, Zen Moments are of particular importance.

Zen is a philosophy that emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment and being mindful of one’s surroundings. It originated in China and later spread to Japan, where it had a profound impact on many aspects of Japanese culture. Zen is often associated with meditation and mindfulness practices, which help individuals achieve a state of inner peace and tranquility.

Zen in Painting

Zen has had a significant impact on the art of painting in Japan. Zen painting is characterized by its simplicity, minimalism, and focus on the present moment. Zen painting is often created using a brush and ink, and it is designed to capture the essence of the subject matter rather than its physical appearance. Zen painting is often used to depict natural landscapes, animals, and other elements of the natural world.

Several different painting styles are associated with Zen. Some of the most common styles include:

Sumi-e: This style of painting is characterized by its use of black ink and minimalism. Sumi-e paintings often depict natural landscapes, animals, and other elements of the natural world.

Zenga: This style of painting is often created by Zen monks and is characterized by its simplicity and minimalism. Zenga paintings often depict calligraphy and other abstract images.

Nanga: This style of painting is characterized by its use of bright colors and its focus on the natural world. Nanga paintings often depict landscapes, animals, and other elements of nature.

Zettl, who studied traditional painting at the Academy in Beijing, takes up the topic again and again and also combines it with ideas and elements of Western art.

On the eve of Halloween 2023 I put together a short. It seems a bit dystopian, but that may have something to do with the globally tense times.

youtube-video

All portraits shown are based on 2 original works from the mid-1980s. They were recreated with graphic programs, one of which is AI-supported, and do justice to their new task of addressing Halloween.

Just as the living and the dead meet on Halloween evening, the graphics also show very realistic, lively elements and at the same time the destructive, ending thing - death.

Of course, it's fun that shouldn't be taken more seriously than Halloween itself.

Hello

In my first blog post on artmajeur, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you! In the following, I will briefly summarize what you can expect on this blog and what my artistic journey is. For about 3 years, I have been showcasing my work online and writing about it regularly. So far, mainly on my blog: zettl.blog. There are also series that focus on topics related to Asian painting and philosophy, especially Chinese. I would like to do something similar here: shed light on the background of Asian painting, from the philosophy on which Asian art is based to technical aspects of painting. This should help you better understand the works that I offer on artmajeur. In my “Videos” section, there is also material available.

A brief overview of my career: I started painting in the late 1970s. Initially, I was influenced by the surrealists, later by the expressionists. When I began studying sinology (alongside ethnology and art history) in 1976, I already hoped to be able to study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. After initial difficulties, I was able to study at this most important academy in the Asian region in 1979, as the first European since the Cultural Revolution. In addition to painting and calligraphy, I also devoted myself intensively to the art of seal carving and wrote my dissertation on an aspect of Chinese art that is mostly translated as freehand painting.

This kind of painting was essentially influenced by Daoist thoughts and can certainly be understood as applied philosophy.

We all know the term yin-yang, yet most people are not aware of how profound and far-reaching this idea shapes Chinese art.

Over time, I will delve into various aspects in more detail and occasionally attempt to shed light on one of my works from this perspective.

I am well aware that terms like “Zen” and “Tao” are used very loosely and often deviate far from their original meaning.

Therefore, it is even more important to me to convey the traditional view, which has hardly changed for more than 1000 years, and thus provide my readers with material for reflection. Whenever you have a question about it, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Enjoy and warm regards, Friedrich