Rainer Maria Latzke

Infobox Artist
name = Rainer Maria Latzke
Born = Euenheim, nordrhein westfalen Germany


imagesize = 200px
caption = Rainer Maria Latzke in front of his mural at the Vienna Town Hall
birthname =Rainer Maria Latzke
nationality = German
field = Painting, Muralist
training = University of Duesseldorf

Rainer Maria Latzke is a German artist working in the field of trompe l´oeil and mural painting. German newspapers, such as Die Bunte, have stated that he is the "the Michelangelo of Modern Times". Latzke's work may be found in public buildings and private residences through-out the world, such as the Vienna Town Hall, royal palaces in the United Arab Emirates and cruise ships like the Royal Clipper from the German television drama “Under the White Sails”.

History

Rainer Maria Latzke was born in Germany in 1950. He was raised near Cologne along with 8 siblings by his father Alfons, a reputable teacher and artist and his mother Lisa who was also an artist as well as being politically engaged. Latzke pursued his natural artistic talent by studying fine arts in Duesseldorf under the supervision of Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter. Upon completion of his masters in fine arts and philosophy he travelled through Italy to acquire in-depth knowlege of the history of Trompe L'oeils and it's techniques. He currently resides in Monaco and the USA working in the private interior-design industry, as well as monitoring his company FrescoMaster which is marketed in Europe and America. He is currently teaching at Utah State University.

Rainer Maria Latzke is a descendant of scientist- merchant- and artist ancestors. His uncle Arnold Kohlschuetter was an astrophysicist working at the Mount Wilson Observatory and was partly responsible for the discovery of the spectroscopic analysis. One of the lunar craters (moon crater) visible to the naked eye was named the Kohlschuetter Crater. His cousin Jan Kulczyk is proprietor of Polands largest corporate group. And his granduncle James Kruess was a known children's books author (one of which was produced into a film "The boy who lost his laugh"

Career

Rainer Latzke's early works consisted of illustrations for books such as Bilder aus der Provinz. His first mural commission was for a Pizzeria in the German region Eifel where he was paid in form of free food. During the 80's his talents were acknowledged throughout Europe and his clientel became accordingly to his status. He was hired by a variety of public and private clients throughout the world such as the 5 star hotel Kempinski in Istanbul] , the Palace of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, the German rock band The Scorpions and for Daimler Benz.RML Skorpions.jpg

Notable achievements

In the late 90s Rainer Maria Latzke invented a new technique for the production of murals, the so called Frescography. This patented technique consists of a software (Dreamworlds Design Studio), which allows the user to assemble individual mural designs using a large selection of cut-out images. Prior to starting a design the dimensions of the wall are entered into the software to create a workspace reflecting the project wall. The designs are then transferred in the artist´s studio on single canvas in wall size and then attached on site in a similar procedure as wall paper. Frescographies take only a few hours to design on the computer, and are produced and delivered within short time (2- 4 weeks). Retailers advertise that the products art is as close as it can get to a perfect mural. It is currently being sold by over 300 franchaisees in Europe. Frescographies can be seen in public buildings such as the Vienna Rathaus (Vienna Town Hall) or the worlds largest sail boat the Royal Clipper.

External links

* [http://www.rainermarialatzke.com Artist's official website]
* [http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1132046563655.shtml Cologne Newspaper]
* [http://www.dreamworlds.com Official website with information of the frescographie procedure]
* [http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/press.pdf International articles collection about the artist]
* [http://www.rainermarialatzke.com/press_release_usu.pdf USU press release]
* [http://www.art.usu.edu/department/faculty.php USU faculty listing]