Carl-Nikolas von Tiedemann

In my artistic practice I am working with a constant eye on the old masters, in particular the great artists of the Renaissance and the Baroque period. I am gaining most my inspiration from history’s greatest works of art, the classics of music and literature, as well as the people that surround me. Mythological and biblical themes are of ever increasing fascination to me and I desire to explore them more in my work. In general, I am continuously seeking to connect to the past through the traditional materials I am working with and by following classical methods as they have been applied for centuries. It is of great importance to me to create my paintings as well-crafted objects by only using materials of the highest quality available to me. Through many layers of paint, some of which are opaque, others transparent, I seek to create a life-like representation of my subject matter. Particularly in regards to the figurative work in my œvre to me that means that I always have to look beyond the mere physical appearance in an attempt to reach for the soul of my subject. In essence this is a humanistic endeavour, for I believe that it is precisely our shared humanity manifested in a rather universal depiction of any subject of interest that can evoke the strongest emotions within the viewer of a painting — something that should always be the highest aim of the artist.