Johannes Schramm
A longtime swimmer, Schramm first became fascinated with water scenes twenty years ago, when he began photographing the entrances to pools—handrails and staircases descending into water—on his regular swims. The point where solid reality begins to mingle with the liquid world continues to be a central focus: in his canvases, bits of geometry and tangible matter (pool tiles, lane lines, plant life, buoys) cuts through, overlays, and reflects upon the water, creating endless visual puzzles.
Biography
Quiet, cool, and mysterious, the photorealistic paintings of Johannes Schramm do not depict water so much as conjure its essence. A longtime swimmer, Schramm first became fascinated with water scenes twenty years ago, when he began photographing the entrances to pools—handrails and staircases descending into water—on his regular swims. The point where solid reality begins to mingle with the liquid world continues to be a central focus: in his canvases, bits of geometry and tangible matter (pool tiles, lane lines, plant life, buoys) cuts through, overlays, and reflects upon the water, creating endless visual puzzles.
In the water, Schramm has written, “rigid, strictly functional things begin to bend. The deeper they plunge, the more straight lines dissolve into curved lines, and shapes are disintegrated and thrown together. It is disordered geometry, interspersed with reflections, that I see when looking at the water surface.” Of his recent paintings involving water lilies and other plant life, he notes how, on closer inspection, “vegetation floating on the water crosses over with vegetation mirrored in the water, while between flat-lying leaves, new shoots break through the surface and uncoil themselves into forms such as sails or shells.”
Along with his poetically conceived liquid surfaces, Schramm continually offers surprising perspectives—sometimes positioning the viewer looking down into a pool from above, other times giving us a swimmer’s view, immersed in the waves. As German artist and professor Kurt Haug has said of his paintings, “one goes beyond the enjoyment of their aesthetic surface stimuli and, as if imperceptibly sinking deeper, delves into the essence of the element, which they rewrite in infinite variations.”
Born in 1965 in Munich, Schramm studied fine art at the University of Art in Kassel. He has held exhibitions in Germany, Spain, Denmark and beyond, and lives and works in Kassel, Germany.
Born
1965 Munich, Germany.
Education
1974 Kunsthochschule Kassel, Kassel, Germany
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2022 "Recent paintings" Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St Helena, Napa Valley, California
2019 "Still waters" Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 "Pools and Ponds”, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2016 "buoys-leaves-pools" Galerie Terminus, München
2015 "Still water" CCA Andratx, Mallorca Spain
2011 "Poolpositions" Galerie Terminus, München
2010 "poolside" Galleri Jules Julian, Kopenhagen
Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
2009 Galerie Wild, Zürich
2008 Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel
2006 "poolpaintings" Hilton Frankfurt
2005 "poolpaintings" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 "H2O" Schmalfuss Berlin Contemporary Fine Art
"Landschaft" Schmalfuss Berlin Contemporary Fine Art
2019 "Shape, colours & form" Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
“Reflexions” Galerie Terminus, Munich Art Karlsruhe
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary
2017 "Personal Structures" Palazzo Bembo, Venedig
"Wasser" Kunstverein Bad Nauheim
"Dreigestirn" Galerie Gering, Frankfurt
"16 Jahre Galerie Michael W. Schmalfuss", Marburg
Art Karlsruhe, Art Miami
2016 "15 Jahre Galerie Michael W. Schmalfuss" Marburg
Art Miami
2015 "Künstler der Galerie und Gäste" Galerie Gering, Frankfurt/Main
Art Karlsruhe, Art Miami
2014 "Just add water" CCA Andratx, Mallorca Spanien
"Nordart" Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf
"Artothek Kassel-eine Bestandsbesichtigung"
Documentahalle, Kassel
Art Karlsruhe, Art Southhampton, art fair Köln, Art Miami
2013 "Vertikal" Projekt 387 Quadratmeter, Kulturbahnhof Kassel
Art Southhampton, Art Miami
2012 Galerie Michael W. Schmalfuss, Marburg (mit C. Canale und C. Kochs)
"first choice" Galerie Terminus, München
Art Southampton, art fair Köln, Art Miami
2011 "in the summertime" Galerie Wild, Zürich (mit N. Nolte und M. Ehmann)
"30 Jahre Galerie Wild" Galerie Wild, Zürich
"Mixed up" Galleri Jules Julian, Kopenhagen
Art Copenhagen, art fair Köln, Kunst 11 Zürich
2010 "behind the shadows" Galerie Wild, Zürich
"Klassentreffen" Galerie Liebau, Burghaun
Art Karlsruhe, Art Copenhagen, Kunst 10 Zürich
2009 Kurbad Jungborn / Museumsnacht Kassel
Art Karlsruhe, Kunst 09 Zürich
2008 "Eiszeit" Galerie Wild, Zürich
"summerjam-made in 08" Galerie T40, Düsseldorf
Galleri Jules Julian, Kopenhagen
Art Karlsruhe, Kunst 08 Zürich, Bridge Art Fair Miami
2007 "different perspectives" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main (E mit C. Erdmann)
Galerie Liebau, Burghaun (mit Schmitt-Menzel)
"Eiszeit" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
Art Karlsruhe
2006 "Kennen Sie jemanden hier?" Kulturbahnhof, Kassel
Art Karlsruhe
2004 "H2O" Galerie Schmalfuss, Marburg
"summer-spots" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
art fair Köln
Press
PRESS
Selected Artworks
Born
1965 Munich, Germany.
Education
1974 Kunsthochschule Kassel, Kassel, Germany
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2022 "Recent paintings" Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St Helena, Napa Valley, California
2019 "Still waters" Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 "Pools and Ponds”, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2016 "buoys-leaves-pools" Galerie Terminus, München
2015 "Still water" CCA Andratx, Mallorca Spain
2011 "Poolpositions" Galerie Terminus, München
2010 "poolside" Galleri Jules Julian, Kopenhagen
Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
2009 Galerie Wild, Zürich
2008 Galerie Roland Aphold, Basel
2006 "poolpaintings" Hilton Frankfurt
2005 "poolpaintings" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 "H2O" Schmalfuss Berlin Contemporary Fine Art
"Landschaft" Schmalfuss Berlin Contemporary Fine Art
2019 "Shape, colours & form" Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
“Reflexions” Galerie Terminus, Munich Art Karlsruhe
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary
2017 "Personal Structures" Palazzo Bembo, Venedig
"Wasser" Kunstverein Bad Nauheim
"Dreigestirn" Galerie Gering, Frankfurt
"16 Jahre Galerie Michael W. Schmalfuss", Marburg
Art Karlsruhe, Art Miami
2016 "15 Jahre Galerie Michael W. Schmalfuss" Marburg
Art Miami
2015 "Künstler der Galerie und Gäste" Galerie Gering, Frankfurt/Main
Art Karlsruhe, Art Miami
2014 "Just add water" CCA Andratx, Mallorca Spanien
"Nordart" Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf
"Artothek Kassel-eine Bestandsbesichtigung"
Documentahalle, Kassel
Art Karlsruhe, Art Southhampton, art fair Köln, Art Miami
2013 "Vertikal" Projekt 387 Quadratmeter, Kulturbahnhof Kassel
Art Southhampton, Art Miami
2012 Galerie Michael W. Schmalfuss, Marburg (mit C. Canale und C. Kochs)
"first choice" Galerie Terminus, München
Art Southampton, art fair Köln, Art Miami
2011 "in the summertime" Galerie Wild, Zürich (mit N. Nolte und M. Ehmann)
"30 Jahre Galerie Wild" Galerie Wild, Zürich
"Mixed up" Galleri Jules Julian, Kopenhagen
Art Copenhagen, art fair Köln, Kunst 11 Zürich
2010 "behind the shadows" Galerie Wild, Zürich
"Klassentreffen" Galerie Liebau, Burghaun
Art Karlsruhe, Art Copenhagen, Kunst 10 Zürich
2009 Kurbad Jungborn / Museumsnacht Kassel
Art Karlsruhe, Kunst 09 Zürich
2008 "Eiszeit" Galerie Wild, Zürich
"summerjam-made in 08" Galerie T40, Düsseldorf
Galleri Jules Julian, Kopenhagen
Art Karlsruhe, Kunst 08 Zürich, Bridge Art Fair Miami
2007 "different perspectives" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main (E mit C. Erdmann)
Galerie Liebau, Burghaun (mit Schmitt-Menzel)
"Eiszeit" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
Art Karlsruhe
2006 "Kennen Sie jemanden hier?" Kulturbahnhof, Kassel
Art Karlsruhe
2004 "H2O" Galerie Schmalfuss, Marburg
"summer-spots" Galerie Wild, Frankfurt/Main
art fair Köln
Quiet, cool, and mysterious, the photorealistic paintings of Johannes Schramm do not depict water so much as conjure its essence. A longtime swimmer, Schramm first became fascinated with water scenes twenty years ago, when he began photographing the entrances to pools—handrails and staircases descending into water—on his regular swims. The point where solid reality begins to mingle with the liquid world continues to be a central focus: in his canvases, bits of geometry and tangible matter (pool tiles, lane lines, plant life, buoys) cuts through, overlays, and reflects upon the water, creating endless visual puzzles.
In the water, Schramm has written, “rigid, strictly functional things begin to bend. The deeper they plunge, the more straight lines dissolve into curved lines, and shapes are disintegrated and thrown together. It is disordered geometry, interspersed with reflections, that I see when looking at the water surface.” Of his recent paintings involving water lilies and other plant life, he notes how, on closer inspection, “vegetation floating on the water crosses over with vegetation mirrored in the water, while between flat-lying leaves, new shoots break through the surface and uncoil themselves into forms such as sails or shells.”
Along with his poetically conceived liquid surfaces, Schramm continually offers surprising perspectives—sometimes positioning the viewer looking down into a pool from above, other times giving us a swimmer’s view, immersed in the waves. As German artist and professor Kurt Haug has said of his paintings, “one goes beyond the enjoyment of their aesthetic surface stimuli and, as if imperceptibly sinking deeper, delves into the essence of the element, which they rewrite in infinite variations.”
Born in 1965 in Munich, Schramm studied fine art at the University of Art in Kassel. He has held exhibitions in Germany, Spain, Denmark and beyond, and lives and works in Kassel, Germany.
Biography
Press
A longtime swimmer, Schramm first became fascinated with water scenes twenty years ago, when he began photographing the entrances to pools—handrails and staircases descending into water—on his regular swims. The point where solid reality begins to mingle with the liquid world continues to be a central focus: in his canvases, bits of geometry and tangible matter (pool tiles, lane lines, plant life, buoys) cuts through, overlays, and reflects upon the water, creating endless visual puzzles.
Johannes Schramm
Rigid, strictly functional things begin to bend, and the deeper they plunge, the more straight lines and rectangles dissolve into curved lines and shapes that are disintegrated and thrown together. It is disordered geometry, interspersed with reflections and light reflections, which I see when looking at the water surface.
A longtime swimmer, Schramm first became fascinated with water scenes twenty years ago, when he began photographing the entrances to pools—handrails and staircases descending into water—on his regular swims. The point where solid reality begins to mingle with the liquid world continues to be a central focus: in his canvases, bits of geometry and tangible matter (pool tiles, lane lines, plant life, buoys) cuts through, overlays, and reflects upon the water, creating endless visual puzzles.