K.R.H. Sonderborg(1923-2008)
- Writer
He grew up in Hamburg. There he learned the trade of businessman from 1938 to 1940, which he practiced for a while. From 1947 to 1949 he was taught by Willem Grimm at the art school. The first attempts with the ink technique were made in 1950. A year later, Kurt Rudolf Hoffmann took the stage name of his hometown Sonderborg. In 1952 the artist joined the group "Zen 49" as a member. In 1958 the artist moved to Paris. There he took graphics lessons in "Atelier 17" with the English graphic artist and painter Stanley William Hayter. In 1965 he left Paris and moved to Stuttgart. There he accepted an appointment at the State Academy of Fine Arts and taught as a professor of painting. Sonderborg's artistic development began with Tachisme. This was followed by a phase of action painting, whereby the thematic subject in his pictures was movement and speed.
The series "Flying Thoughts" documents these subjects, which Sonderborg portrays in a dynamic character. The artist was guided above all by his impressions of the big city, which he captured in New York, Paris and London. The theme of his works is perceptible reality, which he reproduces with formal rigor. This also includes jazz music and other city noises, but above all also technical facilities and equipment. The work "E (Electric Chair)" from 1974, for example, represents this style. His work is more closely aligned with gestural painting in the USA than with European Informel. It shows the form in its creation process. Sonderborg wanted a spontaneous application of paint. He thus created a dynamic structural system. His brushwork was more like blows with the painting tool, carried out with a surprising suddenness. His preferred colors were black and white with red elements, which he applied using a rubbing or wiping technique.
The language in the pictures was based on Zen Buddhism. They continue to be influenced by the French Tachisme of the painter George Mathieu and Roger Bissière. But the artist also draws inspiration for his images from the stories of the English poet Edgar Allen Poe, which show a noticeable violence. The symbols of his action painting works are characterized by movement and rhythm. The titles of his works indicate the date and time of their creation. Sonderborg's pictures have the character of East Indian calligraphy. In their writing nature, they reveal the artist's psychological processes as automatic writing. The artist lived in Chicago, Paris, Berlin, Stuttgart and Hamburg, where he also works. In 1983 Sonderborg became a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. In 1989 he received the State Prize of the State of Baden-Württemberg. In 2001, his works were presented in a solo exhibition at the Walther Bischoff Gallery in Berlin under the motto "The Small Format". Furthermore, many of his works have been and can be seen in numerous exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world.
K. R. H. Sonderborg died on February 18, 2008 in Hamburg.
The series "Flying Thoughts" documents these subjects, which Sonderborg portrays in a dynamic character. The artist was guided above all by his impressions of the big city, which he captured in New York, Paris and London. The theme of his works is perceptible reality, which he reproduces with formal rigor. This also includes jazz music and other city noises, but above all also technical facilities and equipment. The work "E (Electric Chair)" from 1974, for example, represents this style. His work is more closely aligned with gestural painting in the USA than with European Informel. It shows the form in its creation process. Sonderborg wanted a spontaneous application of paint. He thus created a dynamic structural system. His brushwork was more like blows with the painting tool, carried out with a surprising suddenness. His preferred colors were black and white with red elements, which he applied using a rubbing or wiping technique.
The language in the pictures was based on Zen Buddhism. They continue to be influenced by the French Tachisme of the painter George Mathieu and Roger Bissière. But the artist also draws inspiration for his images from the stories of the English poet Edgar Allen Poe, which show a noticeable violence. The symbols of his action painting works are characterized by movement and rhythm. The titles of his works indicate the date and time of their creation. Sonderborg's pictures have the character of East Indian calligraphy. In their writing nature, they reveal the artist's psychological processes as automatic writing. The artist lived in Chicago, Paris, Berlin, Stuttgart and Hamburg, where he also works. In 1983 Sonderborg became a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. In 1989 he received the State Prize of the State of Baden-Württemberg. In 2001, his works were presented in a solo exhibition at the Walther Bischoff Gallery in Berlin under the motto "The Small Format". Furthermore, many of his works have been and can be seen in numerous exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world.
K. R. H. Sonderborg died on February 18, 2008 in Hamburg.