sommer

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It’s hot, Milano turns into a tropical city during summertime. Fog and cold are just memories, African heat and mosquitoes the reality.It’s midday sticky and empty streets…nobody would go out right now without a good reason, but I have one.Power walk modus, I need to reach the darsena as fast as I can.

Andrea will be waiting for me already, I didn’t expect her – she just texted ‘here I am, I want to see you. I don’t even know if I really want to meet her after that quarrel but she made it until here. We will have a coffee in this mezzogiorno di fuoco.

Oil on canvas 80x60cm

I love to paint evening and cosy light: this work dedicated to Milano was a bit a challenge, full sunshine in all its brutality. The city can be really hot in summer, you can look for shades, less physical action or air conditioning.This work is oli painting on canvas 60×80 cm. More will follow about Milano and Italy, I have memories and stories to tell.

My Polaroid

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“ I double check the address and I am right, I didn’t expect to find this small house surrounded by other buildings. The appearance is quite modest and the garden surrounding it is wild and green like a Bavarian jungle. I have the task to get this ground, of course as cheap as I can – it looks like an easy job…we can build more apartments there, I will ring the bell…“

An old lady opened the door, deaf and suspiciously looking at the real estate agent…

Oil on panel 30x30cm 2021

Metropol Garage

‘ Her car is there so she must be at work, I can wait a little… I know we don’t have a date and I am not even sure she will be happy to see me here around but I must try it. She is so beautiful, I can’t wait days in the hope to meet her again at the coffee shop where we hada chat last week… why I didn’t ask her phone number?….I am such an idiot … now here I look like a stalker’. The Metropol Gar age door opened suddenly, there she was.’

Oil on panel 30×30 cm 2021

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I painted both scenes in the last weeks, they are spontaneous works and have been painted outside on the spot, enplain air, like the impressionists used to do. This way of working requires speed and focus in the execution and the small format forces to take quite bold decisions on the subject and composition.

The old house is entirely painted with pallet knives for the simple reason I forgot the brush’s case at home that day, nevertheless I like how it turned out. The snapshots I decided to depict were impressing me for the light and the simplicity – I feel they are close to ‘real life’ with some imperfections and stories to tell.

breakfast – slowly

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A painting that stays for the beauty of the morning hours… in a Vienna’s Café place just a calm moment with time for reading and tasting the first coffee of the day.

The light is still a soft one, the place is quiet an hot day maybe will come. Opposite to the stressful life rhythm, this subject is for me a symbol for a different way to live the day.

I had the time too on that morning, for a slow start and a painting subject was just appearing in front of my eyes without really doing any effort – it required just a fresh look to the world.

Cleaning up

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It is since a while I was planning to continue painting some interiors, this subject has many aspects that I found interesting and funny to paint : the light – the morning sunshine entering the room creating a lot of reflections and a path for the eyes… the mirror that reveal part of reality usually not visible to the observer…and the cleaning lady. She prepares the table for the day, cleaning dust and dirty – a kind of white fee that with a simple work bring the world to shine.

I am fascinated by those usual scene so normal and so beautiful. I tried to paint loose and light not” to disturb her” in her work.

Love

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Some weeks ago this little painting was shown in a group exhibition in Milan – theme was love and the work was done for this purpose.

Frankly speaking i could not imagine a romantic love picture therefore I went back to my memories and found and old photo which depicts strong friendships feelings with an impossible tight hug and smiling eyes

That is love for sure, without compromise and expectation – just lived in that moment of life where all is possible.

Oil on panel 30×30 cm

A little portrait

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I am not going to tell much about this portrait apart that i had the luck to have this pretty lady as a model for a spontaneous photo shooting some time ago.

A lovely subject and a beautiful light so I decided to try it out ☺️

Moreover It was so nice to have a gesture in a portrait and a little story to tell, I really enjoyed it.

Oil on panel 30×40 cm

White

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I love to paint white subjects and simple buildings. This painting is a small plein air study (24×30 cm) oil on panel that I made last Sunday. The day was bright and the building which has a bit of uncommon in the architecture was nearly shining im the sun. Rendering the light in an appropriate way and the subtile color variations on the white wall is a delicate pleasure as well as discovering the beauty in an everyday situation and place.

The bike

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Painting in the city again, summer light in Munich and me looking for a story to tell.

This is in front of the University, holiday period so just few students there…all very quiet

But the yellow bike is waiting for someone and patiently enjoy the sunshine,

Who will pick it up?

I didn’t discover it while painting, it remains to your imagination

Oil painting on panel 25×30 cm

en Plein air (and my love for it)

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This small painting is one of the series created the first week of August in Munich during a fantastic painting workshop one week long.

For my usual rhythm to have an entire week for painting is a luxury and to be outside every day with the ambition to find a good spot and create an interesting painting is just a great pleasure.

This picture was “captured” in a sunny afternoon, the city not so busy already in summertime modus, a couple sitting at a Café, lazy sunshine…

Painting outside consists all in the ability to capture the atmosphere, it goes all very fast and it has to be this way: the light changes, the people sitting leave the table, doors can be opened and closed… It forces me to be spontaneous, to memorize people gestures which I like and I want in my painting – rarely they stay so long to be model.

But the best of all are the colors you see, this is the real reason for me to be such in love with plein air , so many suggestions comes from the place and the light, it can be replaced by anything else.

Oil on panel 30×30 – Munich workshop with Stefan Nuetzel organized by Akthof