Hans-Werner Sahm was born on 24 May 1943 in Łódź. His family came from the Baltic region, and he grew up in Seeg in the Allgäu after the end of the Second World War. The vivid impressions of nature from his childhood and the subsequent contrast with the big city of Munich became important sources of inspiration for his artistic world. Instead of pursuing a traditional academic art degree, he trained in the graphic arts and subsequently worked as a qualified graphic designer at the Research Institute for the Graphic Arts in Munich. In 1980, Sahm decided to give up his previous career and devote himself entirely to painting. As early as 1981, the gallery owner Andreas Gerstenberg took notice of him and represented his work from then on. Sahm developed his painting style self-taught and with great technical rigour. The development and refinement of a single motif was so labour-intensive that, according to his own account, at times he produced no more than five new paintings a year.nbr/br/rnHis works were created using a distinctive, acrylic-based painting technique described as a special acrylic glazing technique. Through finely graded layers of colour, precise transitions and an almost airbrush-like smoothness, Sahm created an extraordinary sense of spatial depth. rnbr/br/nMonumental rocky landscapes, gorges, watercourses, bridges, staircases, sky and cloud formations, and enigmatic architectural structures combine in his paintings with vast horizons to form idealised, timeless worlds. People rarely appear; the landscape itself becomes the true protagonist.nbr/br/nThe central creative element in Sahm’s work is light. It serves not only to illuminate, nbut also opens up spaces, guides the eye and transforms the landscape into a place between rnreality, memory and vision. His paintings are classified as Fantastic Realism and nsurreal landscape painting. Characteristic features include stillness, vastness and the nidea of setting out into unknown worlds. nbr/br/rnSeveral illustrated books featuring his nworks have been published under the titles ‘Lichtwelten/Reise ins Licht’ (Worlds of Light/Journey into the Light).nbr/br/nFor his artistic work, Hans-Werner Sahm received the Bürgerförderpreis in 1982 and rnthe Johann-Georg-Fischer Prize from the town of Marktoberdorf in 1985. He died on 6 November 2020 nat the age of 77 in the Allgäu region. His work lives on in the originals, his illustrated books and the nauthorised art reproductions.
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Hans-Werner Sahm was born on 24 May 1943 in Łódź. His family came from the Baltic region, and he grew up in Seeg in the Allgäu after the end of the Second World War. The vivid impressions of nature from his childhood and the subsequent contrast with the big city of Munich became important sources of inspiration for his artistic world. Instead of pursuing a traditional academic art degree, he trained in the graphic arts and subsequently worked as a qualified graphic designer at the Research Institute for the Graphic Arts in Munich. In 1980, Sahm decided to give up his previous career and devote himself entirely to painting. As early as 1981, the gallery owner Andreas Gerstenberg took notice of him and represented his work from then on. Sahm developed his painting style self-taught and with great technical rigour. The development and refinement of a single motif was so labour-intensive that, according to his own account, at times he produced no more than five new paintings a year.nbr/br/rnHis works were created using a distinctive, acrylic-based painting technique described as a special acrylic glazing technique. Through finely graded layers of colour, precise transitions and an almost airbrush-like smoothness, Sahm created an extraordinary sense of spatial depth. rnbr/br/nMonumental rocky landscapes, gorges, watercourses, bridges, staircases, sky and cloud formations, and enigmatic architectural structures combine in his paintings with vast horizons to form idealised, timeless worlds. People rarely appear; the landscape itself becomes the true protagonist.nbr/br/nThe central creative element in Sahm’s work is light. It serves not only to illuminate, nbut also opens up spaces, guides the eye and transforms the landscape into a place between rnreality, memory and vision. His paintings are classified as Fantastic Realism and nsurreal landscape painting. Characteristic features include stillness, vastness and the nidea of setting out into unknown worlds. nbr/br/rnSeveral illustrated books featuring his nworks have been published under the titles ‘Lichtwelten/Reise ins Licht’ (Worlds of Light/Journey into the Light).nbr/br/nFor his artistic work, Hans-Werner Sahm received the Bürgerförderpreis in 1982 and rnthe Johann-Georg-Fischer Prize from the town of Marktoberdorf in 1985. He died on 6 November 2020 nat the age of 77 in the Allgäu region. His work lives on in the originals, his illustrated books and the nauthorised art reproductions.