INCREDIBLE NATURE BY MAX WEILER

September 30 The JI Art

INFINITE LAYERS: PAINTINGS YOU CAN CONTEMPLATE FOR HOURS, ALWAYS DISCOVERING SOMETHING NEW

Max Weiler. Himmelschauspiel (Sky Spectacle)

Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye... it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.
Edvard Munch

Max Weiler’s Sky Spectacle (Himmelschauspiel) unfolds like a dreamscape, where swirling tones of earthy browns and verdant greens melt into one another, pulsing with fluidity, delicate textures and soft washes of color, a constant transformation, as if the earth itself were breathing beneath the sky.

...and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?
Vincent Van Gogh

There is something special about Max Weiler's works. He did not simply paint nature; rather, he would “re-create nature without imitating its outward form" and "evoke the atmosphere, the moods, the essence of trees, grasses, and natural elements, using forms entirely [his] own” (Max Weiler, *Tag- und Nachthefte*, 1972).

Through his process, he discovered that the real power of transformation comes from the colors he chooses and the shapes he creates. Their soft, shifting, almost liquid nature is what makes the change possible.

Max Weiler. Rosse Kuppe (Large Dome)

To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.
Kurt Vonnegut

Born on August 27th, 1910, in Absam near Hall in Tyrol, Max Weiler – the son of an Imperial and Royal judge – was raised in an intellectual environment. His early exposure to art came during his time at the Toni Kirchmayr painting school in Innsbruck. However, his true artistic awakening began in 1930 when he was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

A pivotal moment in his career came when he first encountered the ancient Chinese landscape paintings of the Sung Dynasty (960-1279), which left a lasting impression on his work. This blend of Eastern philosophy and European modernism would later become a hallmark of his distinctive artistic style. By 1937, Weiler had already gained recognition, receiving the prestigious Rome Prize and spending time in the Eternal City, where his exposure to Italian Renaissance art further enriched his visual language.

Creativity takes courage.
Henri Matisse

Weiler’s career, however, was not without its challenges. During the Nazi occupation, he was drafted into the German Wehrmacht and served in northern Italy and Yugoslavia between 1942 and 1945. After the war, he returned to his homeland and created a series of controversial frescoes for the Theresienkirche in Innsbruck, which led to accusations of denigrating the peasant class. This resistance culminated in a public trial in 1948. Nevertheless, Weiler persevered, traveling to Paris in 1949, where he met artists Nicolas de Staël and Alfred Manessier, who encouraged his exploration of abstraction.

In 1960, Weiler represented Austria at the Venice Biennale, a significant turning point in his international recognition. Throughout his career, he received numerous accolades, including the Grand Austrian State Prize in 1961 and the Austrian Decoration of Honour for Science and Art in 1979.

I shut my eyes in order to see.
Paul Gauguin

One of Weiler’s most tragic personal moments came in 1957 with the accidental death of his little daughter, Gertraud, which deeply affected his work and outlook on life.

Despite the personal and professional trials, he continued to create. His work, ranging from paintings, frescoes, mosaics, and stained glass to large-scale murals, reflected his philosophical inquiries into nature and existence, demonstrating his ongoing fascination with the spiritual and metaphysical dimensions of nature.