Life
1. beginnings: Photography, multi-vision and painting 1965- 1969
During these early years, Helmut Tollmann was experiencing a lot of photographical techniques and chemical procedures. He had won in these early times more than 25 national and international awards, that can be proved by press and certificates. The historic material of these years is not even regrounded. But as you can see, the most of all the procedures Helmut Tollmann is using until today in his artistic work, posterisation, lithographic films and developers, solarisation and reprographic use of photographic techniques can be found in his works until now, especially in his multi-layer-technique.
2. new ways and techniques 1970-1974
Beginning in the early seventies Helmut Tollmann was principally involved in paintings of architecture and landscapes, deeply impressed by the work of Max Ernst. The proximity of Helmut Tollmann’s early paintings to Max Ernst is no coincidence. Max Ernst invented a lot of procedures and techniques in modern painting (the frottage, for example) and so did Helmut Tollmann. Always looking for new media and procedures useful for artistic utilization. In this period he painted his so-called “soft landscapes”. [1] They look like silk paintings. Helmut Tollmann’s artistic expression based on the study of Max Ernst. And so did the architectural paintings too.
3. Bringing painting, reprography and printing technique together 1974-1985
In these days Helmut Tollmann and a lot his friends (for example Andy Warhol) and colleagues were using reprographic and photographic techniques, especially in Pop-Art. But Helmut Tollmann tried something one can estimate maybe not before today. He brought the squeegee from silk screen printing into painting years before others. In these paintings you can also find elements of technical and electronic processes, which go together more and more with his art the coming years.
4. Technology and the soul in world and mankind – “Soul of Chip” 1985-1997
The painting media were changing more and more. Using new colors and the canvas of his work is changing to copper plates, printed circuit boards and so on. All corresponding to the main theme in Helmut Tollmann’s works of that time “soul of chip”, a registered trade mark of Helmut Tollmann until today. [2] How does the world of information and the men in it rock? Portraits of local, national and international status such as Trude Herr [3] a local hero of Cologne theater or Albert Einstein join in Helmut Tollmann’s artistic work of these days. Multimedia, illumination and information technology mixed in multi-layer artwork.
5. Links – the connecting aspect between technology and mankind 1998-2007
In this shift of emphasis from searching for the “soul of chip” to the use of media the new theme in Helmut Tollmann’s work was showing up: Links. [4] The chance to join apparently disparate projects like: Wirkbetrieb 1, a projects of T-Systems [5] and “Together” a project of the initiative tolerance under the patronage of Joschka Fischer former minister of foreign affairs. [6] In this time new portraits of people from the music history (Beethoven-Superstar, Wagner, Berlioz…) [7] and the social, political and economical life were painted.
6. Cosmic elements and cosmic prayer- 2008-today
Helmut Tollmann is reprocessing the globalized world in its elements. multiple layers in the projection on and in buildings or on a water shield. As in the very beginning Helmut Tollmann is returning to the combination of exhibition and multimedia show. The light as a painting tool used by “the master of color” as the gallery owner, art dealer and artist Markus Roubrocks once said. With extremely high powered projectors Helmut Tollmann showed just one long time running artwork, that surrounded the people in the church of the lords heart at Singen/Bodensee und two years later on the Hegau-Tower. In Lyon a single artworks showed by Helmut Tollmann on all the six-story-buildings enclosing the main market place. His paintings as layer of light in the real world.
