Johannes Grutzke
March 1, 2014 § 3 Comments
Johannes Grutzke (Gruetzke), born in 1937, is a contemporary German painter, draftsman, and printmaker whose charged color, turbulent surfaces and brushwork bring to mind the work and sensibilities of two earlier German expressionists, Lovis Corinth and Oskar Kokoschka. A student of Kokoschka in 1962, Grutzke joined forces in the 70s with fellow Berlin artists Manfred Bluth, Matthias Koeppel, and Karlheinz Ziegler to form the “School of New Splendor,” a movement driven by rebellion against the prevailing drift of the German art world and frustration with the lack of exhibition opportunities for artists working with the figure. Satire, irony and a brutal realism carry on this peculiar genius of German painting in the work of a new generation.
Painting OWU 
Are you familiar with the work of painter (and former illustrator and comic book artist) Kent Williams? This work reminds me a little of his, mostly due to the gestures and poses and somewhat tortured compositions. Williams take a few more risks with space and appears to be the more naturally graceful draftsman. But I’m thrilled to find out about Grutzke, as he had escaped my attention until now.
Thanks so much for posting this!
Interesting. Do you teach Art History as well?
Not officially, but my students might beg to differ.