Drawing Art

After the death of Friedrich Karl Waechter in September 2005, his drawing estate of around 4000 sheets passed into the possession of the Wilhelm-Busch-Museum Hannover. Aware of what a great asset this was to the museum's collection, the major exhibition "Zeichenkunst" was then dedicated to Waechter in 2009, making many originals by the great draughtsman, who made an incredibly large contribution to the art scene in Germany with his cartoons, picture books and his work for the theatre, accessible to the public.

For this exhibition, which was also brought to Frankfurt, Waechter's longtime home, in 2011 in a varied form, the accompanying catalogue has been published by Hirmer Verlag. "Zeichenkunst" is an entertaining as well as impressive testimony to Waechter's artistic versatility. On the basis of nearly 350 works, from his first drawings for the magazine "pardon" to the popular cartoons from "Titanic" to works from his picture books for children and adults, the book documents that Waechter is constantly evolving and has never allowed himself to be pigeonholed. A great willingness to experiment with different styles and techniques is evident in the works collected in the book, whereby Waechter possessed the great talent of always finding the right form of expression for each of his ideas.

This multifaceted insight into Waechter's oeuvre amuses, provokes, is sometimes wicked, then again charming, sometimes playful or yet rather cynical. Cartoons such as "Der Papst kommt" make it clear why the artist has sometimes been offended by his work, while "Das Tierpuzzle" or "Die Geschichte vom fliegenden Robert" show Waechters' flair for material suitable for children. Other works, on the other hand, such as "Die 11 bekanntesten Stellungen bei der Selbstbefriedigung des Mannes" or "Wir beide" deal with sexuality in a delightfully uninhibited way and are therefore aimed more at a somewhat more adult audience.

Nevertheless, whether children or adults or both were to be addressed at the same time, one thing is common to all works: the inseparable interplay between image and text. Waechter challenges the viewer/reader of his works not only to look closely, but also to make the connection between the images and the texts integrated into them, or the captions. Often, the genius of the drawings and cartoons only reveals itself when one has succeeded in recognizing just that connection.

"Zeichenkunst" is a very lovingly compiled show of works, which from the abundance of works that Waechter has left behind, offers an adequate cross-section of the work of an exceptional artist and his versatility, and at the same time makes his love for what he has done palpable. Whether as a complement to a visit to the exhibition, or as a work in its own right, anyone interested in satirical Germany should definitely get their hands on this book

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp