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Egon Arnold Alexis von Vietinghoff | ||||||||||||
| Born: February
6, 1903 in The Hague, Netherlands Died: October 14, 1994 in Zurich, Switzerland |
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A Life Consecrated to Art |
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The painter, author of a technical painting handbook and philosopher in painting matters, Egon von Vietinghoff grows up in an artists’ house which welcomes international visitors. His father is a pianist of German-Baltic origin, his mother, who has Belgian and Dutch ancestors, is a writer of philosophical books. He spends his childhood in France (Paris) and Germany (Wiesbaden), lives in Switzerland after 1913 (Geneva, Zuoz and finally Zurich). Born a Russian subject, he becomes a Swiss citizen in 1922, together with his parents and his brother. From 1922 to 1937 he lives in Germany (Munich), Italy (on the isle of Capri), France (again in Paris), Spain (on the isle of Majorca), Argentina (Buenos Aires), and Uruguay (near Atlantida). In 1937 he settles down in Switzerland, first in Zollikon and then in Zurich, and lives there until his death in 1994. |
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| He goes on numerous trips (at first even on foot and by bicycle) through Morocco, Europe, and Turkey, mostly in search of cultural sites and works of art. The first half of his life is marked by an innovative, enterprising, sports-loving and social spirit. From the 1950s he is leading a rather withdrawn life, concentrating on his main work of painting and writing, while remaining mostly hidden from the public eye. |  |
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Vietinghoff can be seen to be a real European when one considers his ancestors, his four wives who are natives of Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, and in particular his fluency in many European languages, his extensive knowledge of European literature, all of which combined to form a truly European mentality. With his research into painting techniques he resurrects a forgotten treasure of the European painting tradition; with his creative power he contributes in his own manner to the diversity of 20th century painting. |
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Egon von Vietinghoff starts his career as an artist at age 17 and decides to finally lay down his paint brush at the age of 87 years. |
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| In the studio at Ostbuehlstr. 17 in Zurich-Wollishofen, Switzerland, he works for 45 years. Here he produces 90 % of all his works. The housing estate "Neubuehl" is a ambitious project of the thirties. It is one of the first modern housing estates in Switzerland and is still unique, with its Bauhaus style. | |||||||||||||
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In 1954, Vietinghoff marries his fourth wife, Liane, from Salzburg, Austria. After his three failed marriages, she decisively helps him and his son Alexander to new beginnings and with her great commitment and optimism enables him to consecrate even more fully on his artistic calling. | ||||||||||||
| Liane von Vietinghoff loves to walk and is an enthusiastic gardener. Both fields of interest procure for the painter welcome models for the bouquets he likes to paint; on the other hand, he goes himself to the market to buy the fruits for his still lifes. She patiently types the manuscripts of the technique and the philosophy of painting he revises again and again, and helps him to sell his paintings to private collectors. |  |
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All his life he remains an outsider, unerring in his artistic judgment, and content to find his own path in life. Uncompromisingly he follows his artistic conscience, his visual perception and the urge to translate that perception it into painting. He does not work in a certain style just because it is fashionable and is being encouraged. Usually, von Vietinghoff's artistic attitude and the nature of his painting style are not recognized. To paint true to his convictions leads him to create in solitude but with devotion. Both humanly and artistically, he is like a rock which the stream of time flows over and around, but not change. | ||||||||||||
| In winter, when daylight is insufficient in his studio, he reads thick volumes of world literature or tends to his growing stamp collection. In summer, he likes to sit on his balcony drinking tea, smoking, correcting his manuscripts, writing humorous poems, playing chess with neighbors, or feeding titmice, chaffinches and his beloved doves to whom he talks lovingly over the top of the book he is reading ... |  |
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