The First Fifty Years: Paintings, Drawings, Collages

By Helmut Fischer

In The First Fifty Years, the author, a former diplomat, explores dozens of his drawings, paintings and collages done on four continents for links between his art, life story, and the influence of where he drew and painted. Combining work log and memoir, he sees his art change over time and place yet somehow stay the same. In the end he finds his artistic journey became not only a way of seeing the world, but of transcending it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728350097

Helmut Fischer

The author escaped Communist Eastern Europe after World War II, discovered a love of drawing as a schoolboy in Austria, and a passion for writing and painting when he eventually reached America. He studied art and writing at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Oregon. His two passions became a life jacket, helping him survive teaching English and twenty years as an American diplomat working in Europe, Africa and South America. He has published poems and stories in literary magazines and a novel, Discovering America.

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© 2020 Helmut Fischer. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

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ISBN: 978-1-7283-5008-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5010-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5009-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020904581

Published by AuthorHouse 04/24/2020

CONTENTS

Introduction

Old Mill

Los Angeles, California (1954–1959) (1954–1959)

Austrian Village

Mountain Lake

Self-Portrait

The University of Southern California (1959–1964) (1959–1964)

Ascent

Burning Sky

La Luna

Comrades

Snowy Trees by Fence

Trees in Snow

Portrait

Portrait of Young Man

The University of California, Berkeley (1964–1967) (1964–1967)

Wishing Tree

Moonlit Clearing

Portrait of Young Girl

The Inner Man,

Survivors I, II, III, IV

Burning Summer

Lovers

Portrait of Young Woman

The University of Oregon (1968–1969) (1968–1969)

Dawn

Sunset

Child’s Ball

Arrest

Cuffs

Jekyll and Hyde

Death Rides

Life Force

Chevrons I and II and Broken Chevrons

Black Chevrons

Nude by Tree

Young Woman

Worship

The University of Akron, Ohio (1970–1972) (1970–1972)

Broken Chevron

White Chevrons

Tented Chevrons on Red

Blue and White Chevrons on Red

Mediterranean Blue

Hermosa Beach, California (1972–1974) (1972–1974)

Ceremony

Haunted Wood

Nymph I

Nymph II

Eden

The Letter "S

Arbor with Wine Glasses

Couple I

Couple II

Figures with Bench

Gathering

Bench, Arch, Boxes

Boxes and Arches

Boxes with Figure

Boxes with Arch

Trees and Arches

Arches

Devolution

Space and Time

Kinshasa, Zaire (1980–1981) (1980–1981)

Roots

Rhythms

Life Force

Snowy Slope

Sunset

Brussels, Belgium (1981–1984) (1981–1984)

Vaults

Tranquility

Village Ruin

Half-Timbered Houses

Mountain Cross

Chevrons with Mask

Masks with Arm,

Ancient Fire I

Ancient Fire II,

Connection

Spirit Mountain

Paramaribo, Suriname (1985–1987) (1985–1987)

Washington, DC 1.0 (1987–1991) (1987–1991)

Leopard Masks

Ferocity Masks

African Masks I

African Masks II

African Masks III,

African Masks IV,

African Masks V,

Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers with Conch

Sky Road

Untitled

Haunted Road

Moonlit Trees

Sunset/Moonrise

Merry Christmas

Bonn, Germany (1991–1994) (1991–1994)

Pulsing Chevrons

Untitled

Ragged Chevrons

Sculpted Chevrons

German Pines

Untitled

Locomotive

Dark Slices

Tsunami

Maze

Moonlit Clearing

Ticking Time

Untitled

Lima, Peru (1995–1997) (1995–1997)

Altar Piece

Power Plant

Scrap Metal

Storm over Pisa,

Bottled Lightning

Big Bang

Kryptonite

Birches/Snow Flurries,

Washington, DC 2.0 (1997-1999) (1997-1999)

Springtime in the City

Genesis

African Fabric,

Opposing Forces

Fullerton, California (1998–2002) (1998–2002)

Masks I

Masks II

About the Author

About the Book

To Jan and old friends.

My special thanks goes to Ryan Robinson,

whose camera and computer skills

helped make this book happen.

INTRODUCTION

M y artistic journey began humbly, with the 1950s paint-by-numbers craze. As a schoolboy in Austria I liked drawing and the American hobby built on my old passion. In the end painting by numbers gave me something even bigger than America. As I struggled to learn English and a new culture, it wasn’t just in how applying paint to numbered patches magically released images, like an old mill or hunters in a duck blind. It was in the power but also seeming irrelevancies, like the feel of brushes or the tang of linseed oil. The fragrant oil paints eclipsed the pale colored pencils of my grammar school. After painting by numbers I had little jars of paint left over. I couldn’t let them go to waste and tried my hand without numbers.

Over the years I soldiered on in school and careers, but always found time to draw or paint. I changed majors, worked odd jobs, discovered writing, taught English, became a diplomat. Over fifty years and four continents the art persisted. I explored with oils and acrylics on paper, on canvas, painted on shipping crates, did inks and collages. My mediums and how I worked might depend on where I was or how much time I had, whether