Gerhard Fuhrmann (painter and graphic artist from Schwedt) on Frank Nitsche

Preliminary Remarks on Frank Nitsche

Frank Nitsche, born in Eisleben in 1958, met his artistic mentor, Paul Otto Knust, in 1975 while a student. Knust was on his way to becoming a mathematics and physics teacher. It was then that he was ignited by art, tentatively venturing into it and embarking on a quest that continues to this day. He has become more confident along the way, but—we agree—no one is ever truly certain.

That pretty much sums up Frank Nitsche’s career; he’ll nod and be satisfied with these few words. And yet, I must add something quite personal: Several years ago, Frank gave me one or two sketchbooks, which I dutifully filled with sketches, right up to about 20 pages from the end. Then I felt they were full. As a result, I’ve bought myself a few sketchbooks; I probably have around ten now, maybe a few more, and they’re all almost full and of different sizes. My current one is A3.

Firstly, I’ve learned that sketchbooks can be incredibly useful, even if I’m not particularly consistent in using them. And secondly: I don’t know anyone who fills as many sketchbooks as regularly as Frank Nitsche. He must have over thirty by now. I’m probably wrong, and it’s fifty. I think he once bought a whole batch of inexpensive ones to fill over the years. And I bet they’re all filled to the brim. This almost daily dose of intensity and discipline is his training of hand, eye, and brain; it’s a permanent reservoir of ideas. His ideas take shape in the sketchbook. The pen, moving swiftly, notes, sorts, highlights, summarizes, simplifies, and emphasizes. You almost want to say it’s all already drawn, and yet new approaches always emerge on the path to the finished picture. Alongside the sketchbooks, there are drawings galore. I know from Frank that you can sit or stand on a drawing for more than half an hour. It wasn’t about the fleeting, ingeniously sketched collection of lines, but about the concentrated, accurate one, or the many felt ones—in any case, about work.

In general, whenever we talk about our artistic endeavors, it’s always about work… What are you working on right now, what are you working on…, how’s your work coming along? That work is enjoyable is a given for us, and that applies not only to artistic work. Work is also, and especially, a positive concept for Frank Nitsche. Studies are created, ideas are developed, experiments are undertaken. A lot of trial and error takes place. And then, of course, there’s the core: the graphic works, the etchings.

Everywhere there is a striving for the final form; no print is carelessly abandoned. With Frank Nitsche, chance rarely, if ever, becomes the designer—in this, we are quite different. He doesn’t just decide, “I can leave it like this,” he always wants to consciously guide the process, to know, “This has to be how it will turn out.” His approach to etching reflects this attitude: drypoint, line etching, aquatint, polishing away, correcting, trying again along the way. This results in a long series of test prints before he decides, “Okay, now this one is right.”

In recent years, all of Frank Nitsche’s artistic work has gained in consistency. This is certainly related to his sabbatical year, which wasn’t really a sabbatical at all. Frank Nitsche was able to use a year off work to recharge, studying directly at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle and at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig. New experiences, practice in handling complex techniques, and a great deal of self-affirmation were among the results. Of course, the Leipzig graphic artist Ulrich Hachulla had a significant influence on the development of Nitsche’s graphic skills. Nevertheless, his now confident search for the most powerful expression, for the most valid form, has not remained solely graphic.

He boldly embraces color, large areas encompass forms, shapes are cropped, sometimes even driven out of the picture, the colors wrestle with one another, and Frank Nitsche is at the heart of it all. He constructs his images not with an obsession with detail, but certainly with a narrative quality. Often, the human figure is at the center, the central theme, so to speak: humanity and its behaviors.

Nevertheless, when viewing the paintings, one gets the feeling that the aim is not merely to convey content, but above all to formally master that content. And so I sometimes find myself not so much interested in the title of a painting, but rather wondering how he did it: or thinking, oh, beautiful blue expanse! Perhaps the colors aren’t even competing with each other; perhaps they’re dancing, celebrating a festival of colors. Sorry, I didn’t mean to go that far. But one thing is clear: although Frank Nitsche explicitly states that he uses the materiality of the world around us as inspiration, his large, colorful works have a distinct tendency toward abstraction; the color works here even without representation. And his purely abstract experiments contribute to this. Materials, techniques, order… how can one break with the familiar, discover something new for oneself?

Excuse me, I didn’t mean to go that far. Frank Nitsche is a thoughtful seeker, not someone who stumbles upon something, picks it up, and plays the proud owner. Reflection, long contemplation, and mature consideration constitute a large part of his work. He regularly accounted for his work before his mentor, the aforementioned Paul Otto Knust, no longer so much as a student, but rather as a journeyman who had already passed on his expertise.

For example, in 1990, Frank Nitsche founded an art school in his hometown of Aschersleben and helped establish an art association. Alongside his work as a teacher of math, physics, and art, he studied art education in Halle—part-time, in other words. All of this happened on the side, alongside his profession, which he had to and wanted to perform well, and alongside caring for his family and home. It’s good to have partners who not only support this but also make it possible.

For instance, in 1990, Frank Nitsche founded an art school in his hometown of Aschersleben and helped establish an art association. All of us who move in a similar way know that those who have a lot to do can accomplish even more, but… well, let’s get this far.