Bauer, Willi

Willi Bauer was born on 7th July 1923 in Germany, in the Spessart. He studied at the Staedel Academy of Art in Frankfurt/Main under Professor Della Villa.

It is not easy for me to sum up in a couple of sentences my feelings about the artist Willi Bauer. This is the kind of subject that ought to be discussed with friends while relaxing on a warm summer afternoon where there is ample opportunity for an exchange of ideas. It is as if one were to try express in a few words exactly what it was that made a particular meal so outstanding or an entertaining visit to the theater so perfect. There is no doubt that it was the important ingredient that made it so memorable?

What is it that attracts people so relentlessly to the paintings of Willi Bauer?

I was acquainted with the artist's paintings before I got to know him personally. I first came across his pictures in 1954 but only met him for the first time five years later. It did not surprise me to discover that Willi Bauer the man is just as profound and interesting as the pictures he paints. He used to work with a vivacity influenced by everything around him. He did not limit himself to a couple of favorite themes. His pictures are composed of almost all aspects of life. He is the complete man. He is sociable... He is retiring... on the one hand he can take pleasure in joyful exuberance but by the same token he can also find enjoyment in the passive activity of looking for mushrooms. He is active... He is quiet... he loves the challenge of diving and other sport all of which he is very adept at but he I likes just as much to sit in his garden and admire a blossoming rose or a darting squirrel.

These are just some of the contrasts which exemplify the varieties of his character and it is this totality which he brings across on canvas. His energy and love of movement are reproduced on canvas in the form of sparkling colors and firm brush strokes. At the same time these pronounced characteristics are subtly modulated by his love for personal and restful effects into a sensitive, engaging statement. In this way his many admirers can share this wonderful attitude to life. It allows the observer to project himself with interest and personal involvement into the pictures but at the same time to remain sufficiently uninfluenced to observe them objectively from a distance. Rare is the talent which is able to achieve such good communication with his public. Many artists never get this far, others only after their deaths. Because Willi had such a fascination with and love of life he was able to share it with others through his brushes and canvas. All over the world are to be found like-minded people who show their admiration for his efforts by their wish to own one of his paintings.

The list of people owning Willi Bauer pictures has been steadily growing for almost thirty years. Today he is well-known all over Europe and North America as an artist who is a credit to his native Germany. It very often turns out that people acquiring a Bauer soon start to make a collection of them. They want to share in other experiences and because of this there are many people with more than one Bauer in their possession.

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A Personal Appreciation by Peter Arnot For the last twenty years and more Willi Bauer has been reminding us, all; over the world, of the richness and warmth of the German landscape. He has developed a magical technique, all his own, but in the tradition of such great German Master as: Otto Pippel. Like a magnet people are attracted to the vibrancy of Willi Bauer's colors an the passionate technique of his brushstrokes.

If one appreciates Willi Bauer's art, one must at least ask two questions: How can we describe his style and how do we place his name in the history of world art? Whereas his roots are German, his style is one of international acceptability. His painting technique is a transition between rich impressionism and controlled expressionism. The brush strokes are handled in complete control to achieve the desired effect: namely, the effect of light itself: This light that shines comes from the artist's own creativity and imagination. It shines on those subjects dearest to the artist's heart:

The people of Germany in the cafe gardens and flower markets, enjoying their way of life, in the rich beauty of their surroundings, involved in the traditional customs of their society. The strong Alps, the backbone of a strong people. The cold white winter, the purity of a people's fortitude... the house that stands alone, the reflections on a glassy lake. In these lmages of German life are passions universal to all of us: the love of our surroundings and personal way of life.

The images that Willi Bauer has created leave strong impressions that we can all love and always remember through his paintings. The American Art World has appreciated Willi Bauer's work for over twenty years. His paintings have established themselves permanently in the hearts of the American art lover. They can be found in many of the important galleries dealing with traditional paintings.

Their stature among fine paintings is of significant importance. Willi Bauer's paintings will be passed on from generation to generation and Willi Bauer will be remembered as someone special in the history of art. Peter Arnot B.S. USA