Albert Schmidbauer
Artist Statement
For Albert Schmidbauer, artistic abstraction is an approximation of the mind. With even more abstractedness, one can say: abstraction is the approximation of the mental. Changes lead us into unknown spheres, which sometimes awakes fears. But change as a form of de-veloping, un-folding, or dis-covering is a characteristic trait of all life. Fully in line with a bon mot by Jean Paul: "Strong character is brought out by change, weak ones by permanence." From this, one can conclude that change is not only the main theme of Schmidbauer's works, but also of his very working.
"To become everything is development in the sense that the possible becomes real." "If there is a sense of reality, then there must also be a sense of possibility," wrote Robert Musil more than two millennia later. Hope ultimately remains that in the end it is not "the eternal return of the same", but the constant change of that which is essential for our life, that leads to a better world. Any attempt to change the world will probably fail. The hope of managing it nevertheless can become a heavy burden. At least a glimmer of hope remains then, because the aspiration to leave traces behind in the world of art means nothing other than to change the art world. This aspiration must remain the starting point for every artist. At least for every autodidact!
"To become everything is development in the sense that the possible becomes real." "If there is a sense of reality, then there must also be a sense of possibility," wrote Robert Musil more than two millennia later. Hope ultimately remains that in the end it is not "the eternal return of the same", but the constant change of that which is essential for our life, that leads to a better world. Any attempt to change the world will probably fail. The hope of managing it nevertheless can become a heavy burden. At least a glimmer of hope remains then, because the aspiration to leave traces behind in the world of art means nothing other than to change the art world. This aspiration must remain the starting point for every artist. At least for every autodidact!
