The Genesis of Tristan and Isolde

 A look into the development of a painting 

Several years ago, a friend from Germany suggested I create artwork dealing with German themes.  The idea of pursuing this subject intrigued me.   German expressionism has always been a significant influence on my work.  Artists Käthe Kollwitz, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Görg Groß and Anselm Kiefer, just to name a few, left a lasting impression on how I approached art creation.  Being that my father was a German Artist, theorist, art critic and published poet, the connection to Germany via art was easily established early.

Side Note:

Also of influence were these German Artists and The New Objectivity

New Objectivity (in German: Neue Sachiketh), was a movement in German art that arose during the 1920s as a reaction against expressionism. The term was coined by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the Kunst Halle in Mannheim, who used it as the title of an art exhibition staged in 1925 to showcase artists who were working in a post-expressionist spirit. The Artists included were Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Christian Schad, Rudolf Schlichter and Jeanne Mammen—rejected the self-involvement and romantic longings of the expressionists, Weimar intellectuals in general made a call to arms for public collaboration, engagement, and rejection of romantic idealism.

To tackle specifically German themes meant looking into art history, mythology, cultural identity and of course including my perspective and inclinations.  This would be a challenge. Balancing all of the elements while remaining contemporary and hoping to “add” something to established German and contemporary German culture would be an undertaking.

The solution that emerged was to start with the theme of Tristan and Isolde.  That would be my starting place.  The Wagnerian connection to the subject, and the fact that this story predates Arthurian legends, the deep roots of the story made it rich fertile creative ground.

My first attempts at this subject were acceptable.  But I felt that there was something lacking in those earlier efforts.

Flash forward to the present and out of nowhere I decided to explore this theme.  Adding a more ambitious tone, I wanted to create an entire body of work.  It would be rooted in Germanic art, but Medieval and Contemporary as well.  The entire proposed suite would be titled, the 19^th avenue book of hours.  Originally, I wanted to call it the 19^th avenue psalms.  But, a book of hours felt more descriptive.  Included with the suite would be poems to accompany each painting.

This all emerged once I began creating my latest rendition of the theme.

The first drawing as a study for the finished work. The Candal became critical.

Below you will see the various stages Tristan and Isolde passed from start to finish.   To me, painting is living in the present while having one foot planted in the future.   You have to create certain things early on that influence the final product.   That anticipation means you have to reserve judgement until the piece reaches a later point.  You cannot create and edit.  You have to start out raw and then refine, edit, develop and sometimes start all over.

The method that works for me is one of building.  Just adding layers and layers.  The build up that comes from a work developed over time gains a certain authority, a certain “completeness.”   Leaving parts of the past open in the finished work becomes part of the history of the development of the work that adds both visual interest and greater pictorial depth and meaning.

Below is a sequence of the development of the work from start to finish.

Phase One, the raw start

The refinements start

The helmet takes form.

The bedding takes new details.

More Adjustments 

Small details

More fine tunning 

 

The Finished Painting 

The final painting was the result of my own journey from start to finish.  The details for the painting are as follows: Completed painting date May 30th 2022

Title: Tristan und Isolde painting 

Dimensions app 15 inches by 15 inches

37 cm by 37 cm

Medium: acrylic paint on cotton canvas frame painting

Sale price: 500.00 Total

These were previous attempts at the subject.  They were part of an exploration of the theme of Tristan and Isolde from the past.   It was not until recently that I would record these themes directly in a focused body of work.

To see more work, and background, visit my web site.