Eglau, Otto (1917-1988), Wadden spirits, 1982

Otto Eglau(1917 Berlin - 1988 Kampen), Wadden spirits , 1982. Aquatint etching, 14.5 cm x 18 cm (plate size), 32 cm x 33.8 cm (frame), signed “Eglau” and dated “[19]82” in pencil lower right, inscribed “Wattgeister” in the center and identified as no. 232 / 250 on the right. Attractively framed.

- Three minimal foxing spots in the white margin, otherwise in very good condition

- The imagination of the beach -

In this puzzle, ghostly faces intertwine with the mudflat landscape, which is interwoven with rivulets of water that enliven the entire sandy surface. Other faces emerge from these faces, creating a puzzle within a puzzle. These ghosts, each with their own character, transform the floor into a turbulent image, and the work also reflects on the art of "looking" into linear structures.

About the artist

After his release from captivity in 1947, Otto Eglau studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin. He was a student of Oskar Nerlinger, Max Kaus and Wolf Hoffmann. From 1953 he taught free drawing for architects at the Technical University of Berlin. In the years that followed, Eglau undertook numerous study trips that took him to Scandinavia, the Arab world, the Far East and even Macau. During these travels he cultivated the technique of watercolour, which allowed him to work quickly in the open air, while retaining a strong painterly quality.

Scholarships enabled Eglau to stay in Japan from 1962 to 1963 and in Naples in 1970. From 1969 to 1976 Eglau was professor of etching at the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg. Between 1983 and 1988 Eglau worked simultaneously in his Berlin studio at Lietzensee, which had its own printing press, and in his studio in Kampen on the island of Sylt.

Otto Eglau's work has been shown in more than 100 solo exhibitions worldwide and in more than 120 group exhibitions.

"I love the vastness of the island. The mudflats off Kampen are my treasure trove; here I discover new shapes and colors every day. Without Sylt, I would be like a fish without water."

- Otto Eglau

Selected Bibliography

Hanns Theodor Flemming: Otto Eglau. Das graphische Werk, Flensburg 1966.

Heinrich Seemann (Einführung): Otto Eglau. Inselskizzen, Hamburg 1982.

Heinrich Seemann (Einführung): Otto Eglau. Japan, Nepal, Sylt. Aquarelle. Zeichen und Strukturen. Einführung von Heinrich Seemann, Hamburg 1986.

Otto Eglau: Watt-Tagebuch. Ausgewählte Aquarelle aus den Skizzenbüchern Otto Eglaus. Kampen 1996.