-So Hans, to begin with, how did you end up in Csongrád?
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​- In the beginning, I was a participant of the Secession in Darmstadt, from there I have been invited to Mirabel, in 1998, where always have been some hungarian artists. Many different people go there, but a special relationship began between me and the hungarians (for example, partly because I play the harmonica, and this brought us together), so we became friends. I knew that Volker (Volker Beyer) comes to this art colony of Csongrád in every year, but he can't drive, and I already had my driving license at that time, so the artist from here told me: "Hans, you have to come, to bring Volker!" (smiles) They love him, he is an important artist. But I don't come so often as Volker, he comes every year, for me its the 4th time. I love that colony, the houses, the landscape, the river. When I was here for the second time, I drew a lot of landscapes...I just drew, drew and drew. I don't know why did I stop it... I love this kind little city, I'm very happy when I come here. I think the people here have some special "soul-light"...not like in Germany, there I have never experienced such a thing. Important to say, that's not only for the artist, but for the whole city, the people living here are very kind, like the two Lacis (László Csák, László Kecskés). We always visit a lot of people here, that's a huge joy for us, we are always looking forward to meet all of you.


-What's the difference between the art colony of Csongrád, and the other colonies, like, for exapmle the one in Mirabel?
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- I was in Mirabel when i was younger, and that was the first art colony of my life, I have never experienced anything like that before. I was a little bit nervous, I was running form one thing to the other, a little bit of talking here, a little there and it went like this. My works were caotic. Here in Csongrád, I have more inspiration, I'm in a calmer state of mind. Mirabel was stressful for me, too many things happened at the same time, I couldn'T concentrate on my artistic output. The landscape there is wonderful, but it can not be compared to the one here. Here I love that the mood, the energy is coming from the river. Then for example, I didn't understand, why the towns structure is so geometric, but I realized that it doesn't have an influence on the feeling that comes from the direct surrounding, from the trees, the houses, the flowers and so on...and this the important thing to me. I like to go in the city, to walk on the dam, the Körös-estuary and those local musicians, who play traditional music in one of the restaurant here. It was wonderful for me to listen to them, and as the younglings were singing along with them, and to see how seriously they took what they are doing, playing music; it shows on there look. I like this kind of music, the lyrics of it, this feeling.
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-Did you, or do you plan to organize such an art colony, for example in Dresden?
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- I wish I could create such an art colony, like this is here in Csongrád. That's very important, many people tried doing it, but it's hard to get the financial support for it, the accomodation for the people, and to find the proper place. I also organized a miniature Plein Air in 2001, it was one weekend, with ten artists. It has been supported with 500 euros by a local bank. The place was in the suburb of
Dresden, at a part where it's like a little village, this way I could book rooms cheaper, and I also rent the huge garage of an old house, where we could work together. We also painted a big picture together. A really good team spirit evolved, I would like to repeat it, but nowadays my possibilities and my schedule don't let it.
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-Where do you work usually?
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- It's a bit ambivalent. I nees to be alone, to find out what I really want to do, in a quite, calm athmosphere. That's very important to me, and here it's not a problem for me to concentrate, on the other hand, I need the conversations also, I'm always looking for newer and newer opportunities to talk with someone about what is he doing, to be inspired by it, sometimes so much, that I forget what I wanted to do originally. Here in Csongrád, I really love Tibis (Tibor Halla) and Lilis (Liliana Mercoiu) works. The painting style of Lili is really free method, abstract. She always sits there in the studio and meditates. She waits for the proper time for painting, I've learnt a lot from her in this case.
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-What is Your project for this years Plein Air?
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​- I have plenty of plans, but for sure I won't materialize everything. So far, I made a black-white-yellow series of paintings, but for real in this case, the colours aren't important, I have been inspired by the athmosphere and the feelings. Rather monochrome pictures, about feelings. I'm collecting old newspapers, papers, and I integrate them in my works; I'm searching for new reasons for the relation between different elements, new correlations.
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-Where did you learn art?
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- In Dresden, I started in 1989 (in the year of the falling down of the Berlin Wall) and I continued until 1994, on the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Dresden, and after I started to work, also in Dresden. I was obsessed mainly with painting, but drawing is also very important to me, in that time, I was doing big, serious, figurative drawings too.
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-It's written about you, that you were involved in many different projects, film, installation, for example there was the one titled "Idyll".
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- ooh...yes. I have a little story for the Idyll. We met with a couple of people in a village, and we got the idea of making a festival for fine arts and music there. We invited young, unknown composers, young musicians, we created special rooms, places, with decoration, installations and paintings. Idyll was the name of this festival. It was because people usually, when they travel to the countryside, think that they find horses, pigs, sheeps there...and not art. We wanted to break this cliche. Then yes, sometimes I'm doing other things also, besides of painting, but not primarily. I consider myself as a painter, I'm thinking in 2 dimensions. I experienced with sculpture, and the connection of music (or sound) and visuality (also together with my son, Max). It's a very difficult, complex thing to relate so different things. This is a new type of media, and I can't really figure out a totally good solution to it. I think they can not be put together for real, they just don't fit. Of course, in the movies you see the picture and hear the sound, but we are experimenting with it within art, not like this.
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-Who was your main mentor, or the people who influenced you the most?
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- A lot of people. The first person was an old man, who was the member of Die Brücke, an expressionist, who lived close to my village, I went to his lessons with bicycle. He showed me the powerful feeling of free painting, when we paint with our whole arm, with the energy of the body also, not only with the energy of mind, and only with wrist. We made big paintings. At first, I always used "quite" lines, so he took my pencil, and showed me thick, powerful lines, and also showed what can be achieved with 3-4 lines, how to get a character like this. For example, a lying dog. Simply bom-bom-bom - expressively, with a few strong lines. After he died, Günter Horlbeck, one of my teachers influenced me. He taught me for a short period, but I learnt the free mixing of different materials, technics and thoughts from him, to look for a relation between them, the find the own language of the painting, to use different methods, to create contrast. That was important to me, but it was "just" a station, I mean, I'm not "done", I'm continuing learning since then. Then I had and have collegues and friends, who I learint together with. One of them became a famous artist.He went to abroad to exhibit, once got into an important exhibition, and from that point, he became a significant artist. I can't make a living only with painting, I teach besides it, in a studio, that I rent on this purpose. I have 45 students, from almost every age.
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-What would you like to give to them?
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- I can show them the basics, practical things about composition and anatomy. These people usually have some artistic experience, and they even bring their works to show them to me. It's very important to me what each person finds in their heart, I don't want to tell anyone, what to do. Everyone has to find it out himself, to know it.
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-Thank you, Hans!
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-Thank you, and I wish the bests for you.


 

Official website: http://www.hansulrichwutzler.de/index.html