The Origins of a German Painter
Born on 29 September 1952 in Aschaffenburg, Germany, Arno Backhaus began his life in a region that would eventually serve as the backdrop for his creative development. His work emerged during the latter half of the twentieth century, a period that saw him refining a visual language rooted in abstraction. He has continued to produce art well into the twenty-first century, maintaining a presence in the contemporary art landscape.
His practice is defined by a preference for non-representational forms, focusing on the way color and texture interact on a surface. Rather than adhering to a single medium, he often works with a variety of tools to achieve his specific effects. His technical approach includes:
- Gouache
- Mixed media
- Oil
The Language of Abstraction
Backhaus approaches the canvas through the lens of abstract art, seeking to communicate through shape and substance rather than through the depiction of recognizable objects. This focus on the essence of the medium is evident in his use of mixed media, where layers of material build upon one another to create depth. One such work, titled Begegnung, created in 1987, utilizes mixed media on paper to explore these formal qualities.
His work often moves between the controlled application of oil and the more immediate, matte qualities of gouache. This versatility allows him to experiment with how light hits a surface, whether through the translucency of water-based pigments or the heavy, tactile presence of oil. His pieces are often intimate in scale, inviting a close examination of the physical marks left by the artist.
