Biography
Manfred Beck Arnstein is one of the most important phantastic realists in Europe of today. Beck Arnstein's paintings are at the same time magnificent and deep visions of myths and allegorical parables, poetic and even romantic presentations of universal cultural figures and themes. In the jungle of todays triviality these pictures mean a spark of hope and in the depths of our soul we rediscover a part of our selves in these paintings.
Preraffaelite forms as in "Summer", surreal visions as in "The little Prince" and "Fortuna" stimulate the spectator to an intensive observation. "I transform things into a state of silence" says Manfred Beck-Arnstein. That is the particular quality of his art: to give the shape to beings beyond all artistic skill so that these beings lead the spectator into a dialogue with them because of their speechless silence and open to him a mutual reality by virtue of their uneloquent eloquence.
To develop his paintings it takes him quite some time. He uses the mixing technique of the old masters for his paintings. However, Beck-Arnstein differs here from the traditionalists who think of art only in the old and well-known cliché. He delibaretly uses the modern practices like abrasive priming, polyester priming, crayons, collage etc.
The artist was born on the 19th of August 1946 in Arnstein, near Würzburg, Lower Franconia, Germany. At the School of Art in Würzburg he was a student of the well known painters W. Lenz and R. Rother. From 1968 to 1975 he studied at the State Academy of Visual Arts in Stuttgart. The professors Fegers, Gollwitzer, Haegele and Steiner were his teachers there.
Beck-Arnstein exposed his paintings at remarkable exhibitions in Germany and foreign countries. Upon searching for the old cultures he repeatedly spent quite some time at Meditarranean countries, especially Italy. By doing this he discovered Lanzarote, the lava-island in the Atlantic Ocean. There he found his second home. In 1992 he was given Order of the Wholy Spirit in Villa Wieser, Herxheim as a synonym for his excellent work as an artist.
