Rudolf Beger

Artist | RUDOLF BEGER

Artist's Statement:

The theme "Dawn of Prosperity - Cultural Renaissance" suggests an exploration of positive and forward-looking aspects of culture and society. The theme makes explicit reference to the cultural renaissance that took place during the early 1300s in Florence, Italy. At that time, the city was experiencing unprecedented prosperity, urban expansion, and intellectual innovation, which gave rise to the Italian Renaissance.

Like the artists working in Florence back in the 1300s, Rudolf’s Peintography draws inspiration from the urban environment in which he lives. They reveal a nuanced, close picture of the complexity of our present-day environment that is characterized by growing superficiality. His use of unusual perspectives, vibrant colors, symbols, and themes that represent unity in diversity in a contemporary way, are conveying a regained sense of progress and mental prosperity as an expression of a different style and lifestyle. Rudolf’s art photography conveys the message of positive cultural transformations to a cultural renewal fostering a deeper view than just superficial scrolling on an electronic screen. He tries to achieve this transformation by creating imaginative visions of what everybody can see - but does not look at. The iconic, seemingly digitalized symbols he is creating with his camera-eye symbolize a sense of progress and cultural richness.

The Journey

Rudolf is a present-day “Polymath” born in Hamburg (Germany), a kind of "Renaissance man". Polymathy is defined as "knowledge of various matters, drawn from all kinds of studies ranging freely through many fields of different disciplines”.

Rudolf’s expertise and interest spans a significant number of different subject areas from politics and communication, lobbyism, international legal and taxation, general corporate management in a number of industry sectors, book author, good food, history, satire and music lover, art collector and, last but not least, artist.

His life principles told him that, at least in theory, he is limitless in his capacity for development, that he should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible. This is expressed in the term "Renaissance man", often applied to those people of that age who sought to develop their abilities in many areas of accomplishment: intellectual, artistic and social.

Rudolf carries dichotomy to a whole other plane and it is perhaps more apt to view his body, his life and his existence as a 'tripolar' vortex in constant flux and eternal longing. Rudolf would express this as an existential "tri-polarity" reflecting the three pillars on which his life is based, namely cultures & professions, the delights of good food & drinks, and the pursuits of eroticism by and in nature, voyeuristic and all-embracing.

“Love is Life” and Rudolf has been active all his life in many diverse areas of arts and culture, which he has managed to balance with a full plethora of professional activities. The diversity of Rudolf's interests, his love of history and his daily activities provide the means to display and evolve a neo-romantic Germanic balance in life and art in our 21st century world, which is mirrored in many of his drawing, photos, and other artistic works and constant quest for discovery.
Rudolf photographic work is neither photography based on paintings, nor manipulated photography. His ‘Peintography’ is neither subjective, nor emotional. It is the reproduction of the selective choice of the artist who leaves it up to the observer to transfer his thoughts, emotions and interpretations on to the individual image.

Rudolf's art does not materializes itself merely via his images but becomes concrete in the interplay between the choice of object made and the observer's very individual reflections. In this dialogue between the artist and the observer, a banal object, or an accidental arrangement, becomes a fascinating world of dreams, a source of signals, an erotic vision, or a surrealistic ensemble.

With the technical means of photography, Rudolf generates the illusion of painted art. That is the reason, why he calls his photography ‘Peintography’, a mixture between the French ‘peinture’ (painting) and the word ‘photography’. Rudolf does not seek what is perceived as objectively invisible. He ignores consistently the stunning possibilities offered by microscopic photography or the secrets of X-ray photography and never tries to create artificial mystery by manipulating his objects through cuts and blow-ups. On the contrary, the artist is searching for the obvious, something that everybody can see, if people would only look at it.

Rudolf discovers erotic images, mysterious structures and fantastic compositions that frequently have a high narrative value. With the help of his camera, he is taking the objects of his choice out of their perceived banality, divides them in abstract structures and lets them talk to the observer.

Only seemingly, Rudolf allows the process of materialisation (the photographic act) to precede the development of images. In contrast to the principles of the "fotoform" group at the beginning of the fifties, it is foremost the creative view of the artist who takes the object from its perceived evidence to present it to the observer.

Despite of their overwhelming harmony, Rudolf's Peintography is not just "beautiful to look at”. In his images, the mystery is hiding behind the harmony. His works is an appeal against the "zeitgeist" that is focusing on everything that is easy to consume, quick to change, and easy to forget.

Bio

Living in many cultures throughout my life, I have identified one single language, which everyone can understand: Abstract Photography.

I am a self-taught artist who started doing artwork when I was very young until today. I am active in many artistic disciplines, both visual arts and literature.

I exhibited my fantastic drawings, EIPOP drawings and PEINTOGRAPHY in more than 40 exhibitions worldwide, including London, Brussels, Torino, Istanbul, Osaka, Nice, Monaco, Bangkok, Berlin, Knokke-le-zoute, Eupen, Hamburge, and New York.