Life is art

Leben ist kunst. Kunst ist leben – Life is art. Art is life.

You may not agree with me, but I firmly believe in this statement of faith. Even if you beg to differ, you have to at least admit that embellishing your walls with beautiful paintings will enliven your house and add that little (I say big) sparkle that makes all the difference.

Art is all around you, but you may not realise it. Whether it is clothes, shop window designs or logos, all of this is the result of artistic creativity.

This credo made up the religion of Karl-Peter Muller (1935-2000). He believed with the fervour of a zealot that art should be made accessible to everyone.

It is therefore fitting that this tribute exhibition is being held in a hotel, where both residents and ordinary folk can stumble upon paintings without having to go to an art gallery.

Muller came to me as a revelation, and the exhibition, appropriately entitled, ‘Life Styles’, was in many ways an eye-opener. Muller was an inspired artist.

How very fitting that it is being hosted by a hotel in Gozo, the island he loved as dearly as Axel Munthe loved Anacapri.

Unlike Munthe though, he did not have a Villa San Michele, but a humble farmhouse (I imagine converted beautifully) in Kerċem, which was also his studio. The island was nonetheless a great source of inspiration. He first visited it in 1986 and returned every year.

The Karl-Peter Muller Foundation was set up after his death in order to keep his work and spirit alive. This exhibition was organised by the Akademische Werkstätten, which Muller founded. The venue is the Kempinki Hotel, San Lawrenz.

Muller was a painter and sculptor, and the influence of Gozo’s archaeology is made manifest in his art. It was one of his many sources of inspiration. The broad range of his interests is obvious to all who visit the exhibition.

A painting whose contents take the form of a crucifix, the 1999 Im Zeichen des Kreuzes, is a clear tribute to the religious fervour of Gozo.

Among the exhibits are paintings of bulls, goats, golfers… reminiscent of his time spent in Spain and the south of France. There are also several images relating to the African Queen which have character and vitality.

His art is emotional and expressionistic. The large canvases contain a variety of colours, often with vast patches of the same colour enlivened by his brushstrokes.

There is an element reminiscent of Francis Bacon in Muller’s paintings, but Muller’s work is nonetheless individual and inspired by different sources.

‘Life Styles’ is open at the Kempinski Hotel, San Lawrenz, until September 14.