IN CONVERSATION Print

Born 1952 in Aachen (Germany), Wolfgang Bellingradt studied at the University of Design and Art (MFA). He has received the 1st prize European Polaroid Competition and did a study visit with photographer, Ansel Adams in Yosemite National Park in California, USA. Bellingradt's illustrations have been in national and international publications, and he has proposed medical and anatomical drawings for innovative surgical methods. A freelance painting artist he has participated in the 2009 International Art Biennale in Florence and was a guest lecturer at the Folkwang-Schule Essen/GHS and Art Academy ABKM / Maastricht / NL. "Where words fail, painting begins." Wolfgang Bellingradt's extensive artistic oeuvre comprises the disciplines of painting, drawing, and installation. His painting is characterized by a complex picture composition, its own density and a specific artistic iconography. For over 35 years, Bellingradt has concentrated artistically on one central theme: the human being, his struggle for knowledge, his actions and the resulting consequences. The artist looks sensitively at the drive of human action and behavior, at progress, successes and defeats, attempts and errors. The artist's "Vue derrière" is a special feature of his work. He directs his gaze skilfully and excitingly behind the scenes, behind the surface, behind the beautiful glow. Thus he philosophically purposefully records the true needs of human existence and exposes artificially, created illusory values. When the pictures ask questions about the meaning of life, they enter into a personal relationship with the viewer. The painter Wolfgang Bellingradt does not see himself as a reminder or a missionary, but as a researcher, perceiver, observer, questioner and documentarist.