Rainer Maria Latzke
| Rainer Maria Latzke | |
|---|---|
 Rainer Maria Latzke in front of his mural at the Vienna Town Hall |
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| Born | December 28, 1950 Frohngau, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Field | Painting, Muralist |
| Training | University of Mainz, Academy of Fine Arts, Duesseldorf |
| Movement | Surrealism, Renaissance art, Trompe-l'œil, Mural painting |
Rainer Maria Latzke (born December 28, 1950) is a German artist working in the field of trompe l'oeil and mural painting. He teaches at the Utah State University and is Founder of the Institute of Frescography[1] in Logan, Utah. He also is Honorary Professor of the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art[2] of Fudan University and Master of the Beijing De Tao Masters Academy.[3] Latzke is ranked by Artists Trade Union of Russia amongst the world-best artists of the last four centuries.[4]
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[edit] Life
Rainer Maria Latzke was born in Germany in 1950. He was raised near Cologne along with his 8 siblings by his Father Alfons, an art teacher, and his mother Lisa who was also an artist. Latzke studied art, Philosophy, and Educational Science at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz Germany, and then continued Art studies from 1972 to 1976 at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts under the supervision of Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter.[5]
In 1974 he was awarded a Terminal Degree in Pedagogy, Philosophy and in 1976 in Arts. After holding lectures on Art at Colleges in his home town, he traveled to Italy in 1980 where he studied Renaissance painting techniques and fresco painting in Florence and Rome. In 1981 he married Doris Boecke, with whom he had three children, Rene Marcus (born 1981), who is married to English artist Paula Hammond, Katharina Maria (born 1983) and Maurice Amadeus (born 1985). In 2008 his first grandchild, Tristan Francis, was born to Katharina who is married to US citizen Paul Smith.
In 1982 his career as a Muralist started to advance: His collaboration with Harrods in London opened doors to prominent clients, like royal families in the Middle East. He was commissioned by major corporations like Mercedes Benz, for whom he designed the artwork for their 100 year celebration exhibition "Welt Mobil", and prominent rock bands like The Scorpions, for whom he created the computer-controlled electronic mural "Night over Manhattan". In 1992 he was elected as outstanding person in the field of mural painting by Forbes magazine in the article "Stars of tomorrow - cultural trendsetters with major input of the decade".
In 1984 Latzke acquired the 1760 built "Chateau Thal" in Kettenis, Belgium and restored the 38-room castle with several murals. He taught mural painting to numerous apprentices and students in the castle's studio, which led to a new Renaissance of wall painting in contemporary Interior Design.
After his move to Monte Carlo in 1995 he acquired the historic "Villa Paradou" belonging to Henri Chrétien, the Oscar winning inventor of the Cinemascope technique, in 1998. He restored the villa and added new modern murals to the already existing frescoes. In the serenity of the villa, surrounded by a large park with a gazebo built by Gustave Eiffel and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, he published the books "Traumwelten - Die Kunst der Dritten Dimension" and "Dreamworlds, the making of a room with illusionary painting".
There he also continued his work in developing new techniques for the production and reproduction of murals, which he had started in Belgium in 1988, and for which he received a patent in 2000. He also engaged himself in music, composing songs and lyrics, and worked together with South France studio musicians and Phil Palmer, who also worked with Roger Daltrey, and the Dire Straits.
Rainer Maria Latzke is Adjunct Professor for Mural painting[6] at Utah State University and Director of the Institute of Frescography in Logan, Utah.
[edit] Frescography
In the late '80s Rainer Maria Latzke began to develop new techniques for the production of murals, which led to the invention of the Frescography and the CAM Software. This patented technique consists of a computer programme, the Dreamworlds Design Studio,[7] which allows the user to assemble individual mural designs using a large selection of cut-out images. Prior to starting a design the dimensions of the wall are entered into the software to create a workspace reflecting the project wall. The designs are then transferred in the artist's studio onto a single canvas in wall size and then attached on site using a similar procedure as with wallpaper. Frescographies take only a few hours to design on the computer, and are produced and delivered within a short period of time (2– 4 weeks). Retailers advertise that the product is as close as possible to a perfect mural. It is currently being sold by over 300 franchisees in Europe. Frescographies can be seen in public buildings such as the Vienna Rathaus (Vienna Town Hall) or the world's largest sailboat, the Royal Clipper. There are currently around 300 Dealers in Europe distributing Latzke's Frescographies under the brand name Frescomaster.[8]
[edit] Institute of Frescography
In 2009 Rainer Maria Latzke founded the Institute of Frescography (IOF).[1] The IOF is an officially recognized (NFP) institution; its mission is the improvement of public knowledge and interest in the art of mural and fresco painting. It also researches on art history, digital reproduction, printing processes and materials, and restoration techniques of mural art.
In cooperation with the German Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte the IOF houses a 40,000 images archive of European wall and mural paintings. The archive covers the period between the Gothic ages to the end of the 19th century. Another IOF archive, the "World of Ornaments" consists of 5,000 motifs based on the two greatest encyclopedic collections of ornament from the 19th century chromo-lithographic tradition: Auguste Racinet's L"'Ornement polychrome Volumes I and II" from 1875–1888 and "M. Dupont-Auberville's L'Ornement des tissus" from 1877.
The IOF also is participating in museum and exhibition projects of mural and fresco art.
[edit] Works
- "Welt Mobil" Exhibition, Daimler Benz AG, 1984[9]
- Chateau Thal, Kettenis, Belgium, 1986-2000.[10]
- "Night over Manhattan", The Scorpions´Studio, 1987[11]
- Convent Andechs´"Andechser at the Dome", Bavaria/Germany, 1994[12]
- Çırağan Palace, Istanbul, Turkey, 1995[13]
- Eckard Witzigmann's "Aubergine", Munich, Germany, 1993[14]
- Mario Gamba's "Acquarello", Munich, Germany 1994[15]
- Villa Paradou, Cote d´Azur, France, 1998 [16]
- The "Royal Clipper", 2000[17]
- Lanner Lehár Hall, Vienna Town Hall, Austria, 2005 [18]
[edit] Honors/Awards
- Master Student of the Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf, 1977 [19]
- Patent für ein großflächiges Wandbild, 1990 [20]
- Forbes Magazine: "Stars of tomorrow - cultural trendsetters with input of the decade" ,1992 [21]
- Patent for the Fresography technique, 2000 [22]
- Honorary Professor of the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art of Fudan University 2010 [2]
- Master of the Beijing De Tao Masters Academy 2010 [3]
[edit] Publications
- "Traumwelten - die Kunst der dritten Dimension" (publ. 1998) [23]
- "Dreamworlds - the Making of a Room with Illusionary Painting" (publ. 1999).[24]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Institute of Frescography". http://www.frescography.com/.
- ^ a b "Honorary Professor of the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art". http://www.siva.edu.cn/renda/node6813/english/Photo_News/u1a1698908.html.
- ^ a b "Beijing De Tao Masters Academy". http://www.detaoma.com/pro.asp?Cls=657.
- ^ "List of 10,000 world best artists of the Russian Federation Artists Trade Union". http://painters.artunion.ru/best_engl.htm.
- ^ "Article in Keimpis Poetry Magazine about the Academy of Fine Arts Duesseldorf". http://kempis.nl/mag/kunstakademie-dusseldorf-rundgang-2009-1.
- ^ "Utah State University, Faculty & Staff". http://www.art.usu.edu/department/faculty.php.
- ^ "Download.com/Cnet - Dreamworlds Design Studio". http://download.cnet.com/Dreamworlds-Design-Studio/3000-18496_4-10907042.html?tag=mncol.
- ^ "Google Search 'Frescomaster'". http://www.google.be/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Ade%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=de&q=frescomaster&meta=&btnG=Google-Suche.
- ^ "Welt Mobil" by Daimler Benz". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/mercedes-benz.pdf.
- ^ "Chateau Thal". http://www.vimeo.com/4862789.
- ^ ""Night over Manhattan" The Scorpions Studio". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/the-scorpions.pdf.
- ^ ""Andechser am Dom", Munich"". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/andechser.pdf.
- ^ "Çırağan Palace". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/ciragan-palace.pdf.
- ^ "Eckart Witzigmanns "Aubergine"". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/aubergine.pdf.
- ^ "The "Acquarello", Munich". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/acquarello.pdf.
- ^ "Villa Paradou". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/about/.
- ^ "Frescographies of the "Royal Clipper"". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/royal-clipper.pdf.
- ^ "Lanner Lehár Hall". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/projects/vienna-wiener-rathauskeller.pdf.
- ^ "Master Student of the Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/press/.
- ^ "Patent für ein großflächiges Wandbild". http://www.patent-de.com/19901220/DE3927428A1.html.
- ^ "Forbes: Stars of Tomorrow". http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/media/press_articles_rainer_maria_latzke_en.pdf.
- ^ "Patent for the Frescography technique". http://www.patent-de.com/20000203/DE19829627C1.html.
- ^ "Rainer Maria Latzke in der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek". https://portal.d-nb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&query=978-3-00-027811-2.
- ^ "Rainer Maria Latzke in der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek". https://portal.d-nb.de/opac.htm?query=978-3-00-027990-4&method=simpleSearch.
