Joannes Richter

A Book of Art
For Fries

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 Joannes Richter

A Book of Art

Published by Lulu

-2009-

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© 2009 by Joannes Richter
Published by Lulu
www.lulu.com
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: xxx-x-xxxx-xxxx-x

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Contents
1 Introduction............................................................................7
2 Metamorphose........................................................................9
3 Trilogy “Mankind”...............................................................10
4 Mother & Child....................................................................11
5 Prometheus...........................................................................12
6 Trinity...................................................................................13
7 Creation of mankind............................................................14
8 Teotihuacan..........................................................................15
9 Androgynous couple (mirrored)...........................................16
10 Androgynous couple..........................................................17
11 Androgynous couple..........................................................18
12 The Resurrection of Adam ................................................20
13 Loving Couple...................................................................21
14 Loving Couple...................................................................22
15 Eye-contact........................................................................23
16 Pencil-Portrait....................................................................24
17 Young Spanish Girl............................................................26
18 Born again..........................................................................27
19 The Letter...........................................................................28
20 The young violinist............................................................31
21 The miracle of Music.........................................................33
22 The Flute-player.................................................................35

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List of Figures and Photographs
Fig 1: Metamorphose.................................................................9
Fig 2: Trilogy (2009)................................................................10
Fig 3: Mother & Child (2009)..................................................11
Fig 4: Prometheus (2009).........................................................12
Fig 5: Trinity (2009).................................................................13
Fig 6: Creation of Mankind (2003)..........................................14
Fig 7: Teotihuacan (2003)........................................................15
Fig 8: Androgynous couple (mirrored, 2003)..........................16
Fig 9: Androgynous couple (detail).........................................17
Fig 10: Androgynous Couple (detail)......................................18
Fig 11: The Resurrection of Adam (detail)..............................20
Fig 12: Loving Couple (2004).................................................21
Fig 13: Loving Couple (detail)................................................22
Fig 14: Eye-contact (detail).....................................................23
Fig 15: Pencil-Portrait (detail).................................................24
Fig 16: Pencil-Portrait full-size................................................25
Fig 17: Young Spanish Girl......................................................26
Fig 18: Born again...................................................................27
Fig 19: The Letter (2001).........................................................28
Fig 20: Red & Blue-symbolism in medieval Bibles................29
Fig 21: The young Violinist.....................................................31
Fig 22: The young violinist (detail).........................................32
Fig 23: The miracle of Music (1).............................................33
Fig 24: The miracle of Music (2).............................................34
Fig 25: Flute-player..................................................................35

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1 Introduction

This art portfolio of 24 oil-paintings cover a period between

1997 and 2009. The formats have been chosen between 18x24
cm and 50x60 cm. The majority of these paintings has been
given to friends or sold to other visitors of exhibitions between
2000 and 2004.

A rudimentary categorization structures the collection in:

• Evolution & Creation
• Couples & Singles
• Music & Musicians

Some of the photographs have been made at early stages of

digital photography and may be identified by bad resolutions.
To enhance the old photographs most of the paintings have
been processed by optimizing software to enhance the
brightness of colours, which may have been lost by bad
illumination and inferior photography in early years. Other
images have been processed to add the artistic impression of
water colours.

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Evolution
&
Creation

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2 Metamorphose

Fig 1: Metamorphose

This painting symbolizes the evolution from plants to human

beings. The female figure has been copied from a metal
sculpture in a villa in the Italian province of Tuscany.

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3 Trilogy “Mankind”

Fig 2: Trilogy (2009)

In 2009 this trilogy has been composed for an exhibition in

Winnenden 2010 and symbolizes the three religious phases in
human evolution.
The Trilogy consists of three paintings, which will be displayed
in details:
• Mother & Child symbolizing Matriarchy (first phase)
• Trinity symbolizing Androgyny (second phase)
• Prometheus symbolizing Patriarchy (current phase)

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4 Mother & Child

Fig 3: Mother & Child (2009)

Maternity has been symbolized in a serene yoga-position, in

which a mortal mother & a mortal child are seen to be
connected by sparkling nerves.

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5 Prometheus

Fig 4: Prometheus (2009)

The male and powerful, but mortal Prometheus symbolizes

mankind's effort to rule the world.

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6 Trinity

Fig 5: Trinity (2009)

The couple highlights the mother & child's union as the only
surviving result of a couple. The father's role already fades
away in the background...

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7 Creation of mankind

Fig 6: Creation of Mankind (2003)

According to Plato1 androgynous Adam has been created as a

child of the moon. The painting has been a single element in a
series of 16 images depicting Plato's Creation legend.

1:
Symposium (→ Aristophanes' speech)

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8 Teotihuacan

Fig 7: Teotihuacan (2003)

This is the Mexican place, where human beings have been

transformed to deities...

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9 Androgynous couple (mirrored)

Fig 8: Androgynous couple (mirrored, 2003)

The androgynous couple symbolizes the original religious idea

of a bisexual Adam, which has been split by a divine Being as
documented by Plato in Symposium.
In this painting androgynous Adam is floating over the waters...

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10 Androgynous couple

Fig 9: Androgynous couple (detail)

This androgynous couple is a detail from a larger painting and

may have been processed by a scanner. The male face is
symbolized by a surplus of blue colour...

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11 Androgynous couple

Fig 10: Androgynous Couple

(detail)

Numerous retrials may be needed to find the perfect balance

between a couple and a singular image. In this example the
male element in the androgynous couple may easily be
overseen.

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Couples
&
Singles

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12 The Resurrection of Adam

Fig 11: The Resurrection of Adam (detail)

This painting is a study copied from Ingres' “The Golden Age2”

in which Adam and Eve have been placed in separated boxes to
symbolize their isolation.

2:
drawing 41 x 31 cm, dated between 1843-1848, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.

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13 Loving Couple

Fig 12: Loving Couple (2004)

The loving couple contrasts the bright colour of the female's

face against the male's reddish brown hair. The background
colours helps to enhance the female brightening face.

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14 Loving Couple

Fig 13: Loving Couple (detail)

In this painting I studied the ultimate effect of the lip's colour

in reducing all surrounding colours to a minimal impact.

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15 Eye-contact

Fig 14: Eye-contact (detail)

Studying the effect of eye-contacts by paintings I discovered

the eye-contact between strangers seems to be restricted to one
second. A longer contact seems to result in a love affair or in an
insulting situation. Of course the eye-contact is the first step
towards a matrimonial phase in raising children leading to
eternity ...

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16 Pencil-Portrait

Fig 15: Pencil-Portrait (detail)

Although this is an oil-painting the scarce application of

colours conserves the pencil-strokes...

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Fig 16: Pencil-Portrait full-size

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17 Young Spanish Girl

Fig 17: Young Spanish Girl

This study of a young Spanish girl has been designed as a

detail from Murillo's famous painting.

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18 Born again

Fig 18: Born again

“Born Again” suggests the parallels between the anxious

moments of passing a birth channel and the swimmer's feelings
in the raising phase after a deep dive...

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19 The Letter

Fig 19: The Letter (2001)

Obviously “The Letter” (2001) has been composed as an

androgynous couple. The blue colour symbolizes the male, the
red colour symbolizes the female component. The male person
may be understood as a portrait at the background wall.

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 Fig 20: Red & Blue-symbolism in medieval Bibles

In fact I introduced blue and red as androgynous symbolic

colours long before I discovered the divine commands in the
Book Exodus3 and their numerous decorative applications in
medieval Bibles as described in The Sky-God Dyæus ...

3:
there are 25 references to purple, blue and red in the Book Exodus

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 Music
&
Musicians

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20 The young violinist

Fig 21: The young Violinist

The young violinist has been composed to study a transparent

dress against the light source in the background.

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 Fig 22: The young violinist (detail)

As an non-experienced player the young violinist carefully

observes her contact to the instrument.

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21 The miracle of Music

Fig 23: The miracle of Music (1)

The miracle of music has been symbolized in a number of

paintings. Even if the listeners are found to be dreaming the
artist may found to be awake or to have been put into a trance...

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 Fig 24: The miracle of Music (2)

This darker, mirrored version of the painting has been

composed from the original painting.

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22 The Flute-player

Fig 25: Flute-player

A study in which the clothes help to enhance the movements of

the flute-player while playing his instrument.

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