A Life of Artistic Evolution
Arnold Fiedler was a painter, graphic artist, and photographer born in Hamburg, Germany. His artistic journey began with formal training at the Kunstgewerbeschule am Lerchenfeld in Hamburg, where he studied under Arthur Illies and Julius Wohlers. In 1920, he established his first studio in a warehouse at the Hamburg harbor. His education continued in Munich from 1925 to 1929 at the school of Hans Hofmann, a period supported by a scholarship from the Erdwin-Amsinck-Stiftung. During his time in Munich, he traveled to Italy for study, and later, in 1930, he traveled to Paris.
Fiedler's career was marked by significant shifts in style and location. Following the political pressures of the National Socialist era, which included an exhibition ban and the destruction of twenty-one of his works by the authorities, he emigrated to Paris in 1938. After being interned there between 1939 and 1940, and later serving in the Volkssturm and being held in American captivity, he returned to Hamburg in 1946.
Styles and Techniques
Throughout his life, Fiedler explored a wide range of artistic expressions, including expressive realism, surrealism, and abstract art. He was a member of the Hamburgische Sezession and the Hamburger Künstlerverein. His work evolved from the figurative toward the Informel movement, particularly during his decade spent in Paris starting in 1959. This period saw him move toward non-objectivity and the development of material paintings, incorporating elements such as sand, paper, and fabrics.
His technical repertoire was diverse, spanning:
In his later years, his work often balanced a playful return to figurative subjects with continued abstraction, utilizing various techniques to achieve a poetic expression.
