Till Freiwald
Till Freiwald’s watercolor portraits push the limits of his medium. His process of blending layers of translucent color results in an ethereal glow. Beginning with a direct encounter with an individual, Freiwald makes small-scale sketches from a photograph. Setting those studies aside, he completes his monumental watercolors from his “mind’s eye,” capturing “the main characteristics of the face.”
Freiwald works painstakingly, in some cases several months, to achieve a simplified, almost flattened view of the subject’s physiognomy derived from memory. In Mael, a black-and-white portrait of Freiwald’s now-deceased brother, the characteristic stare of the artist’s other portraits is drawn inward, suggesting a ghostly presence.
Freiwald was born in Lima, Peru, studied at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design in Germany, and lives and works in Cortona, Italy. He has exhibited his portraits widely in the United States and Europe.
→ Till Freiwald's artist statement
Giu
Watercolor on paper, 2008
Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York City
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Mael
Watercolor on paper, 2008
Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York City
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