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  4. Jörg Schmeisser, Enter the Forbidden City

Jörg Schmeisser, Enter the Forbidden City

Jörg Schmeisser, Enter the Forbidden City and other works of art.

JORG SCHMEISSER

(Australian, 1942 — 2012)

Enter the Forbidden City

1981

Medium: colour etching on paper

Edition: 65 of 500

82cm x 79cm

#dimensions (framed)

Acquired 1982

109331

Enter the Forbidden City 

Biography:

Jörg Schmeisser was a naturalist and autobiographical printmaker who travelled extensively and keenly observed the places he visited. Best known for his etching, Schmeisser created acutely observed studies of the world often layered with gestural lines, script and abstract motifs. Schmeisser used his art to reflect on his travels and the changes taking place around him.

Born in Germany in 1942 Schmeisser began his formal training in printmaking at the Hamburg Fine Art Academy from 1962-67 under Paul Wunderlich. In 1968 he furthered his studies teaching at the Kyoto Fine Art Academy where he focused primarily on woodblock printing. From 1965-73 he accompanied archaeological expeditions in Greece and Irsrael as a draughtsman and artist, and first visited Australia in 1976 eventually relocating to Canberra in 1978 as the Head of the Printmaking Workshop, a position he held for over 20 years.

Schmeisser consistently travelled across Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Asia and typically catalogued his experiences with copper prints and paintings. In 1988 Schmeisser travelled with the Australian Antarctic Division's Humanities program and created the much celebrated ‘Big Changes’ series in response.

The artwork:

Schmeisser was deeply connected to Japan and returned to Kyoto as a professor at the University of Arts between 2002 and 2008. The work resembles an architectural plan as the forbidden city fills the foreground and the city stretches out beyond. The initial sketched flowing lines contrast more defined lines and intricately drawn Chinese motifs, giving the feel of an intimate diary and reflection on his trip.

Bibliography:

Butler, R., Denker, E., Gates, M., Haynes, P. & Joppian, R., Jörg Schmeisser Bilder Der Reise: a Man, who Likes to Draw, SFA Press/Macmillan, 2013
Schmeiber, J., Changing the Image: The Drawings and Prints in Kaempfer's History of Japan, Routledge, 1995Shumaisa, Y., Jorg Schmeisser Retrospective: Neverending Journeys, Kyuryudo, 2020

Further reading:Denker, E., A Printmaker’s Journey: The Graphic Art of Jörg Schmeisser, exhibition, Georgetown University, 1997