Konrad Schmid

Konrad Schmid creates his own mark. As a trained typesetter, well-versed in all printing techniques, he deliberately broke away from prefabricated typography in order to develop his own free formal language as an artist. Reduced to the essentials. The most difficult freestyle: reducing exuberant ideas further and further. Practicing the art of omission.

The woodcut technique he favors meets this intention. He removes everything superfluous from a smoothly planed panel of apple, pear, cherry or walnut, oak, lime, or poplar. Only a few lines are allowed to remain. He creates a separate printing block for each color. The small editions of these special artist’s prints by hand stand for the preciousness and originality of the works.

The so-called letterpress technique, because everything we are supposed to see from the image remains raised on the plate, has been around for over 2000 years and is therefore the oldest known printing technique. It originally comes from Asia. The first woodcut in color was created by the Japanese artist Suzuki Harunobu in 1764. When you look at Konrad Schmid’s works, you can sense the affinity with Asian art. This art is characterized above all by the fact that it knows how to reduce a depiction to a few signs and lines.

Nature and landscape resonate in all his works. Their quiet charisma conveys calm, concentration on the essentials. And above all, joy in the beauty of the world.

Eva Mueller | Art Consultant
Curator of the Koenigshof Collection