Works of art reflect the world. Thus, Michael Wagner’s works are also mirror images of the present time. However, it is not a mirroring of the outer appearance, not an abstraction of the mimetic world, but a mirroring of the inner constitution. Wagner’s works arise from sensations. They mirror, so to speak, the feeling of the time and represent ciphers for the present time.
Thinking and feeling, geometry and color – between these poles Michael Wagner explores his pictorial possibilities, whereby playful and poetic components are always involved despite all seriousness. In this way he develops a pictorial world that has its roots in the rigor of the constructive-concrete, but at the same time is also based on individuality and spontaneous intuition.
Born in Heidelberg, I used every free minute for artistic studies during my studies of social work at the University of Applied Sciences in Mannheim, and then concentrated entirely on the visual arts after completing my degree. Since 1981 I live and work as a freelance painter, graphic artist and photo artist (self-taught) in Heidelberg.
While at the beginning I worked in the representational field, depicting landscapes and people, I gradually developed an artistic conception that focuses on color and its many possibilities. On this way the world of the constructive concrete opened up to me. Geometry joined color, became an equal partner and provided stability and continuity. Thus, color did not acquire an expressive quality, but rather a purely visual meaning. It does not “jump” into the space, but it has a high presence, a great impact potential. On this basis I design my works, trusting in the power of color and geometry.
