TILL FREIWALD

Provenance:
- Galerie Carzaniga + Uecker, Basel (on the reverse with the label).
- Purchased at the above by the present owner, since then corporate collection Switzerland.

In his artistic work Till Freiwald concentrates exclusively on one genre: the portrait. By narrowing down to just one theme, he seeks to extend from the breadth to the depth of painting and to explore nuances, manifestations and possibilities within this theme. The portrait is the image of a person, both in terms of physical resemblance and as a reflection of personality. In the tradition of portraiture, a stylised rendering of the sitter and the appreciation of its representative qualities are predominant. It was not until the Renaissance that the sitter as individual gained in importance and the emphasis on psychology finds its strongest expression in the modern period. What references does Till Freiwald establish in his sitters?

Till Freiwald’s portraits exhibit particular qualities. Firstly, he works directly from the sitter, completing numerous studies, which allows the fabric of the relationship between painter and model to flow into the work, as well as the different atmosphere of the various sittings. With each sitting there is a different mood, a different light, a change in the people involved. This makes possible a comprehensive depiction of the sitter. Using these studies and his memories, a large format watercolour is finally produced. With the use of a photograph, as a continuation of the creative process, Freiwald strives to fully realise and make tangible the subjectively developed impressions and perceptions about the model.

The close-up representation of the face which fills the pictorial space is also unusual. The choice of this frontal approach forces the viewer into an unsparing encounter. Unblinking, the gaze bores into one’s own, and every detail, every irregularity is revealed. The significance of the identity is negated by the title of the images. The purely subjective interpretation of the physiognomy becomes the means of creating identity.

Freiwald also departs from the tradition of portraiture by moving away from oil painting, which he was still using in his first portraits. The watercolour technique allows a much more direct and spontaneous execution. At the same time, the permeability of the paint emphasises the vitality of the skin, the beating presence of the model, and the structure of the paper, which in turn makes reference to the artisanal quality.
Born in Lima/Peru in 1963, Till Freiwald is currently regarded as one of the most sought-after portrait artists. From 1985 to 1991 he was enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe and became a masters student under Professor Helmut Dorner. In the same year, he received a scholarship from Baden-Württemberg and a one-year scholarship in 1993 in St. Etienne (France). Numerous national and international solo shows bear witness to this, as well as his participation in “Portraiture Now: Drawing on the Edge” at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.