Berlin sketch artist Christian Schlierkamp (1) not only draws for his profession, but also in his spare time. Through all of his works, he explores the connections between everyday life and greater realities.
Though he is now a recognized artist, having collaborated on animated films such as “The Little Polar Bear” and “Laura’s Star,” this native of Cologne, Germany was once rejected by the Duesseldorf Academy of Arts. The reason—his style was too realistic.
One of his more unusual drawings depicts Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng with his family—set in the artist's own European-style living room.
Some readers may recall that Gao Zhisheng is one of China’s best-known human rights attorneys and the author of "A China More Just," a book criticizing and exposing the human rights abuses of the communist regime. During the Olympic Games, word spread that Mr. Gao, who was secretly arrested by the Chinese police after the publication of his book, has been severely tortured by police and remains in custody today.
Mr. Gao reportedly began a hunger strike to protest his arrest and persecution, but was later forced to abandon this protest when authorities refused to supply food and water to his family who have been held in house arrest.
The International Society for Human Rights had designated Mr. Gao “Prisoner of the Month” for August 2008. That circumstance prompted artist Schlierkamp to paint Gao and his family, using his own living room as background.
"I wanted to convey my desire that this courageous attorney be freed. I painted this during the 2008 Olympics," he explains.
As a child, Schlierkamp was fascinated by poster panoramas. He began painting on wood, one scene at a time, using a mixed technique with watercolors and colored pencils. He drew inspiration from illustrator, Drew Struzan (2), an artist who produced advertisements for films such as “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” during his 40-year career.
As a film illustrator, Schlierkamp at first worked on paper, but finding that paper tears after several layers of colored pencil work, he turned to wood. He noted that working on wood gives the sketches particularly good clarity and presence.
British painter, Bryan Hackney, found Schlierkamp's style interesting and invited him to participate as resident artist in the Berlin Jetticourt exhibition: "The Cooked and Cured.” Schlierkamp readily accepted and produced nine pictures within five weeks—all works whose concepts had been in his head for a long time.
Schlierkamp’s gallery of nine pictures can be seen here. His son, Kai, is featured in many of these works. The artist shared that he had to play the turtle or the lion for Kai, and that the boy was gleeful to see himself portrayed as riding on an animal.
He also relates that his own father had been a fairly prolific painter who fostered the artistic development of his children.
Schlierkamp grew up as one of four siblings, all of whom inherited their father's love for the arts. “My father painted,” he remembers, “and we competed with each other. None of us has outdone the other yet.”
"I was timid when I was young, and it was easier for me to draw than to speak. When I didn’t feel well, I drew things. It was my way to get attention and recognition. I look on my drawing skills as my first language, and the spoken word as my second."
Schlierkamp recounts one of the most memorable events during his young life. He was five and his family moved from one apartment to another. While the rooms were empty, the parents let the children draw life-size dinosaurs and whales on the walls with colored pencils.
“I always painted realistically from a very young age. Once I painted an entire jungle. Actually I wanted to become an animal explorer." An art teacher urged him to draw scenes from nature and was the first to urge him to visit a museum.
Schlierkamp has no use for "modern art," and always felt “hemmed in” when having to deal with abstract art. "During my training, my boss sent me to the Ludwig Museum—to view the old masters, study them and learn something about the importance of light in a painting. Studying the classics was most beneficial,” he said.
Nevertheless, he acknowledges that styles are becoming more futuristic, and the next step in the development of cartoon art will develop from the use of computer techniques. Schlierkamp bemoans this one-sided development within his genre. He feels that esthetics seem to be headed toward more extreme forms which will, ultimately, be a great loss for cartoon films. Today one has to justify being a “realistic” artist while esthetics are given short shrift, even becoming lessened or bizarre.
When I asked Schlierkamp what he could express through his drawings that could not be done with a computer, he noted that a drawing embodies a language of its own, while a computer can only mimic reality. He added that some computer technicians might want to stone him for his views.
"A painting can convey much—atmosphere, depth, and finesse while digital is two-dimensional: one and two; no nuances in between. There is a huge difference between a genuine Rembrandt painting and a perfect photo-shop image," Schlierkamp explained.
One of his paintings at the exhibit drew the gallery visitors' particular attention: the above-mentioned portrait of Gao Zhisheng and his family. Schlierkamp had just finished reading and was quite impressed with attorney Gao's book, "A China More Just." He spoke to the visitors: “On first reading, the book seems like a success story—Gao rising from poverty to become one of China's top legal minds. Then comes the great divide—the persecution of Falun Gong, where Attorney Gao dares to intervene on their behalf. Following his first open letter to the Chinese rulers, the regime strips him of all rights: the officials close his law firm and put him and his family under house arrest."
As is common knowledge by now, Gao was imprisoned, and news of his torture was made widely known during the Olympics. "I felt hopeless and wanted to do something constructive, something that creates awareness. I would have liked to bring him and his family to Germany, so they might feel safe, and thought I could at least paint their portrait—and portray them sitting in my living room."
The painting entitled, "Gao's Visit," presents a startling image for the gallery visitors—an Asian family seated in an obviously German-style living room. In the background one can see a flyer tacked to the wall that reads, “Imagine being persecuted for doing this!” It is written in fine colored pencil, showing the image of a woman in meditation.
"I chose to include a message that one might see in an everyday setting—one that does not immediately catch one’s attention, but quietly, in the background, carries a deeper meaning.”
Background
(1) Schlierkamp's works are presently on display at the Jetticourt Gallery in Berlin. The exhibit is called "The Cured and the Cooked."
Schlierkamp was born 1974 in Cologne, Germany. He received the "New Talent Award 2000" for his film "Bad Bill—The Gathering." He worked with several internationally renowned animated film production companies on products such as "The Small Polar Bear," (2001), "Laura's Star," (2004) and "Asterix and the Vikings" (2006). He resides in Berlin. His illustrations may be viewed at http://schlierkamp.kulturserver-berlin.de.
(2) Drew Struzan, an American artist, was born in 1947. He has produced more than 150 movie posters and is a favorite illustrator for directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, according to Website information. He also designs album covers, book covers, comic covers, and advertising posters.
