Michael Weitnauer
Michael Weitnauer has lived much of his life in Australia with periods of time spent living and working in Europe. He has a close connection with Berlin, where both his parents grew up and lived before emigrating to Australia in 1952.
Weitnauer comes from a family with a strong art background - his grandfather, Arthur Fischer, was a renowned German landscape and portrait painter based in Berlin; and his mother, who studied at the Berlin School of Applied Art, ensured that drawing and painting were an important part of family life. At age eight Weitnauer had his first set of oil paints and was entering school art competitions.
In the mid-seventies, after living in Germany and working for a time at the Berlin Museum, Weitnauer started to develop a committed interest in painting. In particular, early to mid-twentieth century European painters had the greatest impact on him, especially Klee, Mirõ and Kandinsky. From the late-seventies to the mid-eighties he worked at developing his skills in drawing and painting.
In 1986, after becoming particularly inspired by the work of Australian painter Fred Williams, Weitnauer began to develop a keen interest in landscape painting. Williams' work had an enormous influence on him and motivated him to apply himself more seriously to his painting. A number of modern contemporary German painters have also had a strong influence on him, including Hans Hofmann, Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer.
Weitnauer has worked consistently at developing his style and skills in a way that deliberately challenges some of the traditional approaches to landscape painting. His work has been critically acclaimed in recent times as being ‘elegant’, ‘beguiling’, ‘lyrical’ and of ‘fine depth’(The Mercury art critic). The recognition of the quality of his work is reinforced by the fact that his exhibitions consistently sell out.
In the last fifteen years Weitnauer has held 28 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 15 group shows around Australia and overseas. His most recent success was winning the prestigious 2002 Wrest Point Hotel Casino Art Award.
Michael Weitnauer is a notable painter who is building a strong following in Australia and overseas. He is part of a respected group of contemporary Tasmanian artists whose works are constantly in demand and whose reputations are growing nationally. His paintings are held in private, corporate and institutional collections in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Canada, USA and throughout Europe.
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| East Coast Summer Series (60cm x 105cm) | Stumpy Bay Series (86cm x 45.5cm) | Bay of Fires Series (56cm x 76cm) |