EDUARD ANGELI. In the Mirror of Stillness

 

Eduard Angeli’s Venice is a city where the familiar suddenly slips into a mysterious, almost metaphysical dimension. The film portrait of the artist takes us into these spaces of stillness, which speak not only through the absence of people but also through the subtle nuances of light and color that permeate them. It is these colors – the grays, the soft blues – that provoke an introspection, as psychologist Michael Musalek reveals at one point in the film, an introspection that cannot be achieved by the vibrant colors of other works and that paves the way for deeper reflection.

The film aims to create space – space for thought – and thus not only allows room for the artist’s own reflections and contemplation of his work but also invites long-time companions to comment on Angeli’s art. Philip Rylands, former director of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, analyzes what the artist sees in Venice, a city that has been painted so many times before, yet Angeli shows us what no one else has been able to see. In his own language, he presents a world that is at once familiar and yet remains unreachable. A world that, in its empty spaces, raises the question: What is present in this absence? What stories do these silent scenes tell?

It is precisely this emptiness, which Angeli leaves in his paintings, that Klaus Albrecht Schröder, director of the Albertina, understands as an expansion of classical painting. By blending charcoal, pastel, and oil, the artist transcends traditional boundaries and creates a new language that not only depicts the image of Venice but also speaks through it. This materiality and reduction to the essentials – from line to hue – lead to an almost meditative presence, drawing the viewer into a dialogue that goes beyond the purely visual.

Then, in a moment of contemplation, philosopher Konrad Paul Liessmann reminds us of the significance of the empty scenes and wide horizons that prompt us to reflect on our own existence.

Thus, Angeli’s work in this portrait unfolds not linearly, but as a web of perspectives, continuously inviting us to oscillate between the spaces of thought and the living presence of his art. The experts, Angeli himself, the dialogue between the past and the present – all of this becomes a play of associations that leads us deeper into a world that is at once familiar and yet always seems new.

It was our intention to create a film that allows the viewer to find themselves in Angeli’s images, to feel his quiet longing and presence in his carefully composed scenes. This is a rare opportunity to dive into the dreamlike world of Angeli’s Venice and experience the atmosphere of stillness and mystery – a journey that art lovers, philosophers, and anyone captivated by the silent allure of the hidden should not miss.

https://www.eduardangeli.com

Interviewee: Eduard Angeli, Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Michael Musalek, Philip Rylands, Konrad Paul Liessmann
Artworks by: Eduard Angeli

Copyright info: The audio and video recording has been made with personal permission of the artist.
Licensing: 0
Language(s): German, English
Subtitles: German, English
Producer: KA21 GmbH / CastYourArt
Production crew: siehe Filmabspann
Production country: Austria, Vienna