Willem Brauckmann

After his academic training, Brauckmann spent many years working in advertising and exhibition architecture. His illustrations have supported current affairs and magazines for many years. With his paintings, Brauckmann shows how he views existence. He tries to make the viewer aware of the duality within contemporary society: the constructive on the one hand and the destructive on the other. It is no coincidence that Brauckmann was struck by Shostakovich's score. The graphic image of the manuscript greatly inspired him. In the scribbled notes he saw a combination of an enthusiastic writing method and an inner nervousness. That appealed to him. It seems contradictory: the heaviness of the subjects and Brauckmann's clear use of color. Colors may not speak, but they are, tacitly, very telling. Brauckmann's work shows this in a special way. That use of color is essential in the work: "It is the expression option for me." Brauckmann is very socially critical in life, and it clearly shows this, but with an optimistic expression.