"Backnang at noon"

Acrylic on canvas

90 x 70 cm

2020

The picture shows the city tower of my Swabian hometown Backnang, seen from the market street directly at the town hall. It was only a matter of time that I, as a backnanger, tried this motive. "A matter of time" was also the process of creation. It started in summer 2019 when I had the idea for this picture at our campsite by the lake. It took me a few hours to sketch out all these perspectives and lines. I also believe that this was the first time I thought about a pantograph.
Well, in those crazy days of the Covid 19 pandemic, I suddenly felt like putting the picture on the easel and continuing to work on it. In the first step, the gloomy sky had to give way to a bright blue with white little cloud of sheep. A large part of the stairs came into the picture and the tower was straight "tinkered" and thus optimized in perspective. But the sky was too dominant. A conversation with Silke, my congenial colleague in our studio, finally encouraged me to paint the sky again. We agreed that the colors of the sky should be adapted to those of the rest of the picture - in the spirit of harmony. A daring step, which I first had to test on my iPad. The result was found to be good and immediately started. And it quickly became apparent on the canvas that this was correct! Today I painted the last staircase, added 2 benches and 2 lanterns and added a few railings. Now I think it's done. But who knows how long this assessment will last ..... The picture still has no signature .....

Marktstrasse II

Acrylic on canvas

50 x 50 cm

2020

This picture is an attempt to paint a little more expressively. It corresponds to the motif of "Marktstrasse I", but is painted faster and more glaringly, and the perspectives as well as the proportions and location are arbitrary. Fully aware. This style is probably not for everyone, but I like it a lot. Above all, it is the extreme colourfulness that gives me so much pleasure. According to the picture "Marktstrasse I" it shows the Marktstrasse in Backnang with the beautiful half-timbered town hall.

"Marktstrasse I"

Acrylic on canvas

50 x 50 cm

2020

Strangers do not know the Marktstrasse in Backnang from this perspective! The reason is very simple: the market street leads right through the heart of the city, but it has been a one-way street for many years and visitors get the other way around by car. Anyone who has already participated in the fantastic New Year's Eve run will remember this passage with horror: behind you, Jürgen traditionally whips all participants up the steep road for a run and the spectators stand crowded in the trellis and fire them Runner frenetically! The whole thing happens 4 times for each runner and only after the fourth and last round runs or goes (depends on the condition) seen from here after about 50 meters exhausted but overjoyed to the finish !!!

In the background, by the way, you can see the Backnanger Rathaus, one of the most magnificent half-timbered buildings here in the area, if not in all of Baden-Württemberg.

"Altstadtgasse"

Acrylic on canvas

100 x 30 cm

2020

I immediately had this picture in my head after walking down this narrow alley. Coming from the city wall in Waiblingen, which is a highlight in itself, this narrow street leads towards the market square and ultimately to our studio. You couldn't spread your arms out, you can only get through with your arms inserted. Beautiful!

It was immediately clear to me that I had to paint this alley more expressively than usual. And I actually resisted the temptation to go into too much detail. Is one of my "mistakes" again and again. Following this picture, the Backnanger "Marktstrasse with City Hall" was created the same afternoon, even if it was not finished on the same day. The town hall seen here is one of the most beautiful half-timbered buildings in our living space, as can be read on the pages of the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße