Rainer Maria Latzke
Encyclopedia
Rainer Maria Latzke is a German artist working in the field of trompe l'oeil
and mural
painting. He teaches at the Utah State University
and is Founder of the Institute of Frescography in Logan, Utah
. He also is Honorary Professor
of the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art
of Fudan University
and Master of the Beijing De Tao Masters Academy. Latzke is ranked by Artists Trade Union of Russia
amongst the world-best artists of the last four centuries.
Rainer Maria Latzke was born in Germany in 1950. He was raised near Cologne
along with his 8 siblings by his Father Alfons, an art teacher, and his mother Lisa who was also an artist. Latzke studied art, Philosophy, and Educational Science at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz
Germany, and then continued Art studies from 1972 to 1976 at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts
under the supervision of Joseph Beuys
and Gerhard Richter
.
In 1974 he was awarded a Terminal Degree in Pedagogy
, Philosophy
and in 1976 in Arts. After holding lectures on Art at Colleges in his home town, he traveled to Italy in 1980 where he studied Renaissance
painting techniques and fresco
painting in Florence
and Rome.
In 1981 he married Doris Boecke, with whom he had three children, Rene Marcus (born 1981), who is married to English artist Paula Hammond, Katharina Maria (born 1983) and Maurice Amadeus (born 1985). In 2008 his first grandchild, Tristan Francis, was born to Katharina who is married to US citizen Paul Smith.
In 1982 his career as a Muralist started to advance: His collaboration with Harrods
in London opened doors to prominent clients, like royal families in the Middle East. He was commissioned by major corporations like Mercedes Benz, for whom he designed the artwork for their 100 year celebration exhibition "Welt Mobil", and prominent rock bands like The Scorpions
, for whom he created the computer-controlled electronic mural "Night over Manhattan".
In 1992 he was elected as outstanding person in the field of mural painting by Forbes
magazine in the article "Stars of tomorrow - cultural trendsetters with major input of the decade".
In 1984 Latzke acquired the 1760 built "Chateau Thal" in Kettenis, Belgium and restored the 38-room castle with several murals. He taught mural painting to numerous apprentices and students in the castle's studio, which led to a new Renaissance of wall painting in contemporary Interior Design.
After his move to Monte Carlo
in 1995 he acquired the historic "Villa Paradou" belonging to Henri Chrétien
, the Oscar winning inventor of the Cinemascope
technique, in 1998. He restored the villa and added new modern murals to the already existing frescoes. In the serenity of the villa, surrounded by a large park with a gazebo built by Gustave Eiffel
and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, he published the books "Traumwelten - Die Kunst der Dritten Dimension" and "Dreamworlds, the making of a room with illusionary painting".
There he also continued his work in developing new techniques for the production and reproduction of murals, which he had started in Belgium in 1988, and for which he received a patent in 2000.
He also engaged himself in music, composing songs and lyrics, and worked together with South France studio musicians and Phil Palmer
, who also worked with Roger Daltrey
, and the Dire Straits
.
Rainer Maria Latzke is Adjunct Professor for Mural painting at Utah State University
and Director of the Institute of Frescography in Logan, Utah
.
In the late '80s Rainer Maria Latzke began to develop new techniques for the production of murals, which led to the invention of the Frescography
and the CAM Software. This patented technique consists of a computer programme, the Dreamworlds Design Studio, which allows the user to assemble individual mural designs using a large selection of cut-out images. Prior to starting a design the dimensions of the wall are entered into the software to create a workspace reflecting the project wall. The designs are then transferred in the artist's studio onto a single canvas in wall size and then attached on site using a similar procedure as with wallpaper. Frescographies take only a few hours to design on the computer, and are produced and delivered within a short period of time (2– 4 weeks). Retailers advertise that the product is as close as possible to a perfect mural. It is currently being sold by over 300 franchisees in Europe. Frescographies can be seen in public buildings such as the Vienna Rathaus
(Vienna Town Hall) or the world's largest sailboat, the Royal Clipper
.
There are currently around 300 Dealers in Europe distributing Latzke's Frescographies under the brand name Frescomaster.
institution; its mission is the improvement of public knowledge and interest in the art of mural and fresco painting. It also researches on art history, digital reproduction, printing processes and materials, and restoration techniques of mural art.
In cooperation with the German Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte the IOF houses a 40,000 images archive of European wall and mural paintings. The archive covers the period between the Gothic
ages to the end of the 19th century.
Another IOF archive, the "World of Ornament
s" consists of 5,000 motifs based on the two greatest encyclopedic collections of ornament from the 19th century chromo-lithographic
tradition: Auguste Racinet's L"'Ornement polychrome
Volumes I and II" from 1875–1888 and "M. Dupont-Auberville's L'Ornement des tissus" from 1877.
The IOF also is participating in museum and exhibition projects of mural and fresco art.
Trompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
and mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
painting. He teaches at the Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
and is Founder of the Institute of Frescography in Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
. He also is Honorary Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art
Shanghai Institute of Visual Art
The Shanghai Institute of Visual Art is a high-leveled, multi-disciplined, application-oriented higher education institution in the Songjiang District of Shanghai, China....
of Fudan University
Fudan University
Fudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...
and Master of the Beijing De Tao Masters Academy. Latzke is ranked by Artists Trade Union of Russia
Artists Trade Union of Russia
Artists Trade Union of Russia is an All-Russian trade union of artists , art historians, museum and gallery workers etc.- About :...
amongst the world-best artists of the last four centuries.
Life
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
along with his 8 siblings by his Father Alfons, an art teacher, and his mother Lisa who was also an artist. Latzke studied art, Philosophy, and Educational Science at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
Germany, and then continued Art studies from 1972 to 1976 at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, formerly Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, is the Arts Academy of the city of Düsseldorf. It is well known for having produced many famous artists, such as Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Thomas Demand, and Andreas Gursky...
under the supervision of Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys was a German performance artist, sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art.His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social...
and Gerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist. Richter has simultaneously produced abstract and photorealistic painted works, as well as photographs and glass pieces, thus undermining the concept of the artist’s obligation to maintain a single cohesive style.- Biography :Gerhard Richter was born in...
.
In 1974 he was awarded a Terminal Degree in Pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
, Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and in 1976 in Arts. After holding lectures on Art at Colleges in his home town, he traveled to Italy in 1980 where he studied Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
painting techniques and fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
painting in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and Rome.
In 1981 he married Doris Boecke, with whom he had three children, Rene Marcus (born 1981), who is married to English artist Paula Hammond, Katharina Maria (born 1983) and Maurice Amadeus (born 1985). In 2008 his first grandchild, Tristan Francis, was born to Katharina who is married to US citizen Paul Smith.
In 1982 his career as a Muralist started to advance: His collaboration with Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
in London opened doors to prominent clients, like royal families in the Middle East. He was commissioned by major corporations like Mercedes Benz, for whom he designed the artwork for their 100 year celebration exhibition "Welt Mobil", and prominent rock bands like The Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, for whom he created the computer-controlled electronic mural "Night over Manhattan".
In 1992 he was elected as outstanding person in the field of mural painting by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine in the article "Stars of tomorrow - cultural trendsetters with major input of the decade".
In 1984 Latzke acquired the 1760 built "Chateau Thal" in Kettenis, Belgium and restored the 38-room castle with several murals. He taught mural painting to numerous apprentices and students in the castle's studio, which led to a new Renaissance of wall painting in contemporary Interior Design.
After his move to Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
in 1995 he acquired the historic "Villa Paradou" belonging to Henri Chrétien
Henri Chrétien
Henri Jacques Chrétien was a French astronomer and an inventor.Born in Paris, France, his most famous invention is the anamorphic widescreen process, that resulted in the CinemaScope, and the co-invention of the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope , which was anadvanced type of astronomical telescope, now...
, the Oscar winning inventor of the Cinemascope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
technique, in 1998. He restored the villa and added new modern murals to the already existing frescoes. In the serenity of the villa, surrounded by a large park with a gazebo built by Gustave Eiffel
Gustave Eiffel
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures...
and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, he published the books "Traumwelten - Die Kunst der Dritten Dimension" and "Dreamworlds, the making of a room with illusionary painting".
There he also continued his work in developing new techniques for the production and reproduction of murals, which he had started in Belgium in 1988, and for which he received a patent in 2000.
He also engaged himself in music, composing songs and lyrics, and worked together with South France studio musicians and Phil Palmer
Phil Palmer
Philip 'Phil' John Palmer is a sideman and session guitarist in jazz and rock who has toured, recorded, and worked with numerous famous artists...
, who also worked with Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
, and the Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
.
Rainer Maria Latzke is Adjunct Professor for Mural painting at Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
and Director of the Institute of Frescography in Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
.
Frescography
Frescography
Frescography is a method for producing murals digitally on paper, canvas, glass or tiles, invented 1998 by German muralist Rainer Maria Latzke...
and the CAM Software. This patented technique consists of a computer programme, the Dreamworlds Design Studio, which allows the user to assemble individual mural designs using a large selection of cut-out images. Prior to starting a design the dimensions of the wall are entered into the software to create a workspace reflecting the project wall. The designs are then transferred in the artist's studio onto a single canvas in wall size and then attached on site using a similar procedure as with wallpaper. Frescographies take only a few hours to design on the computer, and are produced and delivered within a short period of time (2– 4 weeks). Retailers advertise that the product is as close as possible to a perfect mural. It is currently being sold by over 300 franchisees in Europe. Frescographies can be seen in public buildings such as the Vienna Rathaus
Vienna Rathaus
The Rathaus is a building in Vienna which serves as the seat both of the mayor and city council of the city of Vienna.The town hall also serves, in personal union, as Governor and Assembly of the State of Vienna, a state with the Austrian federal system.- History:The Rathaus was designed by...
(Vienna Town Hall) or the world's largest sailboat, the Royal Clipper
Royal Clipper
Royal Clipper is a steel-hulled five masted fully rigged tall ship used as a cruise ship. She was designed by Zygmunt Choreń, and built using an existing steel hull that was modified by the Gdańsk Shipyard, and the Merwede shipyard completed the ship's interior in July 2000...
.
There are currently around 300 Dealers in Europe distributing Latzke's Frescographies under the brand name Frescomaster.
Institute of Frescography
In 2009 Rainer Maria Latzke founded the Institute of Frescography (IOF). The IOF is an officially recognized (NFP)Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
institution; its mission is the improvement of public knowledge and interest in the art of mural and fresco painting. It also researches on art history, digital reproduction, printing processes and materials, and restoration techniques of mural art.
In cooperation with the German Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte the IOF houses a 40,000 images archive of European wall and mural paintings. The archive covers the period between the Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
ages to the end of the 19th century.
Another IOF archive, the "World of Ornament
Ornament
An ornament is something used for decoration.Ornament may also refer to:*Christmas ornaments, an ornament hung from a Christmas tree*Ornament , purely decorative elements in architecture and the decorative arts*Ornament *Ornamental plant...
s" consists of 5,000 motifs based on the two greatest encyclopedic collections of ornament from the 19th century chromo-lithographic
Chromolithography
Chromolithography is a method for making multi-color prints. This type of color printing stemmed from the process of lithography, and it includes all types of lithography that are printed in color. When chromolithography is used to reproduce photographs, the term photochrom is frequently used...
tradition: Auguste Racinet's L"'Ornement polychrome
Polychrome
Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
Volumes I and II" from 1875–1888 and "M. Dupont-Auberville's L'Ornement des tissus" from 1877.
The IOF also is participating in museum and exhibition projects of mural and fresco art.
Works
- "Welt Mobil" Exhibition, Daimler Benz AG, 1984
- Chateau Thal, Kettenis, Belgium, 1986-2000.
- "Night over Manhattan", The Scorpions´Studio, 1987
- Convent Andechs´"Andechser at the Dome", Bavaria/Germany, 1994
- Çırağan PalaceÇiragan PalaceÇırağan Palace , a former Ottoman palace, is now a five-star hotel of the Kempinski Hotels chain. It is located on the European shore of the Bosporus between Beşiktaş and Ortaköy in Istanbul, Turkey.- History :...
, IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey, 1995 - Eckard Witzigmann's "Aubergine", Munich, Germany, 1993
- Mario Gamba's "Acquarello", Munich, Germany 1994
- Villa Paradou, Cote d´Azur, France, 1998
- The "Royal Clipper", 2000
- Lanner Lehár Hall, Vienna Town Hall, Austria, 2005
Honors/Awards
- Master Student of the Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf, 1977
- Patent für ein großflächiges Wandbild, 1990
- Forbes Magazine: "Stars of tomorrow - cultural trendsetters with input of the decade" ,1992
- Patent for the Fresography technique, 2000
- Honorary Professor of the Shanghai Institute of Visual ArtShanghai Institute of Visual ArtThe Shanghai Institute of Visual Art is a high-leveled, multi-disciplined, application-oriented higher education institution in the Songjiang District of Shanghai, China....
of Fudan UniversityFudan UniversityFudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...
2010 - Master of the Beijing De Tao Masters Academy 2010
Publications
- "Traumwelten - die Kunst der dritten Dimension" (publ. 1998)
- "Dreamworlds - the Making of a Room with Illusionary Painting" (publ. 1999).