2024-04-20 06:54
A small selection of recent works in different techniques.
Selection of new works: Today I just want to show what’s been going through my mind over the last month and what came out… Read More
Blog Directory > Arts & Entertainment Blogs > Friedrich Zettl Fine Arts arts-and-entertainment Blog >
2024-03-28 13:30
Solid Rock and Deep Blue Sea
Petra and Sharm El Sheikh: Most of us know Petra, the “Pink City” in Jordan [1]. I’m pretty sure. Why am I so sure? Because the chances… Read More
2024-03-23 04:37
Who Sows Calligraphy will Reap Paintings.
Between Calligraphy and Painting: In order not to get too boring, this article will be the last one for some time in which calligraphy sets… Read More
2024-03-09 07:49
calligraphed by Friedrich.
Superior Haiku by Ashley: This article is about a haiku (俳句 or hokku) [1] and the creative process of turning it into calligraphy. The wonderf… Read More
2024-02-24 07:36
newly painted calligraphy.
red dao and black zen: This article is about creating my series “painted calligraphy” [samples] with more details this time. Which can be a bit bori… Read More
2024-02-10 07:35
one of the best love poems.
Birthday present from Confucius: So I’m 70 years old now. So what?! Really – so what? How should I react? Emotional? Annoy me that I’m an… Read More
2024-01-27 07:51
and thoughts and concepts.
Old and new works – mostly new. And it’s about more than a few brush strokes.
When Chinese people see my calligraphy, especially the one written… Read More
2024-01-13 09:05
About being happy through the centuries.
About being happy was not planned as a topic. But I promised a co-blogger, M, whose work I particularly admire, that I would write a few thoug… Read More
2023-12-30 08:53
defy or embrace?
2024 – defy or embrace? When I say that I welcome the New Year in an optimistic Daoistic mood, it may sound surprising given the world situation. But before I s… Read More
2023-12-16 10:05
surprising stats and tensions.
New yearbook is out. To keep things interesting, this blog article comes with two extras. I’ll start with the extras first, and for some reason, the… Read More
2023-12-02 07:21
Chinese Painting and Wu Wei.
Wu Wei is a key concept in Daoism. It is an idea that originated in ancient Chinese philosophy and is of central importance to Daoism. However, the term is n… Read More
2023-11-18 09:08
and some remarks.
Day dream job: Little boys, especially those of preschool age, often aspire to become firefighters or police officers. However, I’m not sure about girls’ fut… Read More
2023-11-04 07:48
and the Fever-night-creeper
between here and there: The topic of this post first came about in reflection on dreams and waking up. One could consider “Here” as the normal stat… Read More
2023-10-21 07:12
We have an old joke: “Should you take medication if you have a cold?” “Absolutely! If you don’t take any, it will take 7 days until you get well again. If you tak… Read More
2023-10-07 06:50
recent artworks.
recent artworks: It’s not that there’s nothing to tell, nor that I don’t have enough new pictures to show, but I’m quite busy with a few projects… Read More
2023-09-23 05:23
and a video with much ai-help
a kinda yin-yang too: Not many would immediately recognize the yin-yang aspects in the two images I present today. For me, the contrast between&nbs&hell…Read More
2023-09-15 16:51
AI + I presentation
AI + I presentation: So much new and I don’t even know where to start. Maybe with a sentence from Andy Warhol: “Don’t think about making art, just ge… Read More
2023-09-09 05:52
Dao and Zen for Kids
Dao and Zen for kids: I actually wanted to write a post called “More Nothing” or something like that. However, my marketing director convinced me that giv… Read More
2023-09-02 06:30
from nothingness to emptiness
Works on meditation: According to a study experts estimate that the mind thinks between 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day. [1] I wouldn’t be sur… Read More
2023-08-26 06:05
Where time stood still
As I wrote in my last post, I treated myself to a 3-week spa stay. I’ve eaten vegan, lost some weight and cured a few minor ailments. Well, a vintage car will… Read More
2023-07-31 16:36
Hommage á Dominik Alexander
Elements of Rhyme: [1] Before I could tear myself away from Vienna, I had planned some time to do a few tasks I didn’t want to take on my vacation… Read More
2023-07-22 06:28
The end of a walk through Nothing.
Last post before summer vacation. Vacation? Not vacation in the traditional sense. My insurance plan allows 3 spa stays of 3 weeks each within 5 years… Read More
2023-07-15 06:35
And a few Japanese reflections on aesthetics
Gaining by letting go is again a formulation that could come from the field of esotericism. I have previously indicated that this is not a… Read More
2023-07-08 06:18
and about flow.
About letting go. Most of us are familiar with this situation: We have times when we live too opulently. We spend our days in our comfort zone, tending to overeat, exe… Read More
2023-07-01 05:30
How about What Do We Really Know?
What game shall we play today? Let’s imagine the following scenario: You are a discussion leader in a group of representatives of different philoso… Read More
2023-06-17 06:23
The Salome.
Cucumber cutting: Let’s play a little game: let’s (mentally) slice a small cucumber. Cucumber in one hand, knife in the other. Tock, tock, tock…..done!… Read More
2023-06-10 04:00
– you might like it
Something totally different: In various conversations, in social media, and also here on WordPress, I very often see a negative attitude towards ChatGpd and Bing… Read More
2023-06-03 07:11
and a painting
Two Links: I recently posted that a portrait of me would be shown on a Chinese and Austrian TV channel. It was broadcast on May 27th in Austria and May 30th in China. Well… Read More
2023-05-27 05:40
natural 自然 – a key topic in Daoism
Bada Shanren and naturalness: [1] We generally think that the term nature, natural is clearly defined and means the same thing to us… Read More
2023-05-20 06:14
two studies
Environment and nature: Like all of us, I am of course concerned with the subject of nature and the environment and I try occasionally to get as good a picture of our situatio… Read More
2023-05-13 06:06
in China and in Austria.
Interview for TV and Stream: Earlier in the week I had a TV crew over at my house. A portrait was shot of me, which will be broadcast on Chinese television and on… Read More
2023-05-05 13:28
by Dominik Alexander
A poem about one of my paintings: Recently I broached the idea of the abstract children’s book, I also said that it was just playing with a thought. I am gratef… Read More
2023-04-22 06:09
Western and Asian points of view.
Ego versus Self: What the word ego means is well known. And we also know that since Siegmund Freud it has found its way into psychoanalysis and has thus… Read More
2023-04-15 07:06
a meta-art project of a special kind.
The Magic Sea Opera: The basic idea for this special “opera project” came to me almost exactly 50 years ago. In the course of time, it ca… Read More
2023-04-08 07:19
and now you get clouds.
I promised the sky in my penultimate post of photos with stones and sand from my last trip to Egypt. And so the chapter on Egypt comes to a close.As reported, I ha… Read More
2023-04-05 06:59
a couple of snapshots and remarks
The Valley of the Kings: Showing photos of Luxor & Co, especially Panorama or the well-known murals, doesn’t make much sense. We know them and… Read More
2023-04-01 06:27
and an art recipe.
Egypt trip project: Packing a suitcase only takes a few minutes for me. But then the question: What should I take with me to paint? I choose different paper, charcoal… Read More
2023-03-17 21:52
Some thoughts on this.
The children’s book of my last post is not a project in progress, it’s just a play around. If you want to play, come play with us!
Now that I have st… Read More
2023-03-11 06:51
and a toe in the Red Sea.
New Horizon – literally and figuratively.
Let’s start with the easy part, with my toe almost in the Red Sea. And the story goes like this: I was c… Read More
2023-03-04 07:10
Two masterpieces of classical poetry.
Dao in Chinese poetry: The previous contributions to the series Daoist Talks have mainly dealt with painting and the philosophy of Daoism. To touch o… Read More
2023-02-24 16:10
A few criticism examples by Chinese artists over time.
Most of my blog posts deal directly or indirectly with art in the broadest sense. This is insofar as I attach great importan… Read More
2023-02-18 06:59
In two ways.
As I have already written, I have been taking a self-portrait every year since 1976, interrupted by years when I didn’t do it. I uploaded some of them at: state of the… Read More
2023-02-11 07:07
Theme and Variations.
I actually wanted to present works from a new series today. It’s quite promising work for me, but then I thought maybe it seems too crude. I think its appeal i… Read More
2023-02-04 08:05
and the joys of the internet
Our generation is part of so many new developments and we take many things for granted. And yet I am always enthusiastic about the opportunities that are… Read More
2023-02-01 07:40
and an AI poem about the picture
We probably all know Lewis Carroll’s story, each of us in our own way. My approach to this material may be a bit unusual, but that shouldn’t… Read More
2023-01-28 07:35
The illustrations for the new Wolfgang Kubin book
As mentioned some time ago after the Theodor Storm book I was invited to illustrate another book. This project means a lot to me. On the… Read More
2023-01-16 20:53
a few examples
As already explained (art theory articles), Chinese painting of the last 1000 years is primarily focussing on Daoist ideas. These influences are of such an extensive natur… Read More
2023-01-14 07:10
And an AI Haiku on This
I would like to take up a topic again today and I promise it will be the last time – for this year. I recently wrote about my winter blues – and the wi… Read More
2023-01-11 07:55
…..just by using more Reds
OK, that was a flat joke :). Some time ago I featured some of my painted dreams in Dreamtellers. You usually use cool colors, especially blue and gray t… Read More
2023-01-07 06:52
The gifts that Santa didn’t have in his big sack
But first: apologies. I’m sorry some of you recently had trouble navigating my pages. I got rid of my old theme (Arte). I lik… Read More
2022-12-28 09:08
Mind games for the Christmas holidays
During the holidays I took the opportunity to have more detailed talks with my son (His knowledge focuses primarily on physics but he is also pretty goo… Read More
2022-12-21 06:04
Enjoy your holidays!
Actually, I just wanted to make a post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Of course with a self-made Christmas card. And then some thoughts came to the fore. [1]… Read More
2022-12-17 07:48
poetry from the sky
Last time I announced that I would write about the background of a new series I might call Poetry from the Sky. That seems sensible to me because it shows how long it… Read More
2022-12-14 07:41
This and That and Everything
I’ve started 2 new series, one spilling over into the other. I would like to write about how this idea came about in my next post.
It has a lot to do… Read More
2022-12-10 07:55
Dao, Zen and Buddha – and Daoist extra!
Today I want to share a painting that I think is a special treat. It is by Liang Kai (梁楷; c. 1140 – c. 1210)… Read More
2022-12-07 07:42
#WordlessWednesday
What was it about?
As previously mentioned, I have stopped pursuing this project further. I came across this initiative about half a year ago and although I don&rsqu&hell…Read More
2022-12-03 06:54
New additions to 2 ongoing series
I’ve been painting a lot lately. I’ve mainly been trying to work on a new series and it’s going well.Today, however, I would li… Read More
2022-11-30 08:04
#goodbye, #china
Last photo for #WordlessWednesday project
With this last photo of the Wordless Wednesday Project, I would like to thank everyone who has followed this series and, of c… Read More
2022-11-23 07:26
#negombo, #srilanka
fisherman from negombo, 2016. © friedrich zettlA photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your photos to tell the story.
related pos… Read More
2022-11-19 07:01
A day at the Albertina Museum
A few days ago I took the opportunity to break away from my office and once again see a few exhibitions. Especially the long-awaited one by Jean… Read More
2022-11-16 08:24
#WordlessWednesday #cambodia #children
Dedicated to the participants of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference
the big catch. cambodian girl with her fish. village near siem… Read More
2022-11-12 06:39
Mindfulness in a dot
After a lot of theory, we want to highlight practical aspects today, but first a summary of the last post:
Everything is Dao, from the smallest dot to the universe… Read More
2022-11-09 08:00
#WordlessWednesday #china #modernization
busy painting the future. huge mural painting, beijing, china 1979 © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just… Read More
2022-11-05 06:30
…..and about the Wolf hour
As I have stated before, the world of dreams has a special meaning for me. I devoted myself to this world more intensively in the years when I painted su… Read More
2022-11-02 07:22
#WordlessWednesday #helloween #death
memento mori. basement window in the streets of verona, italy 2015 © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pict… Read More
2022-10-29 04:21
recent paintings
Since I pay more attention to the topic of Zen and Daoism again lately, it is not surprising that this is also reflected in the paintings I am currently doing.
How… Read More
2022-10-26 07:03
#fes, #morocco
soft drink delivery in the medina of fez, morocco, 2022. © friedrich zettl. A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your photos to tell t… Read More
2022-10-22 06:17
What we’re going to talk about.
First of all, I would like to say thank you to everyone who participated in the determination poll to create the series about Dao! Unfortunately, the… Read More
2022-10-19 06:18
#WordlessWednesday #pointofview #fly
a fly, meditating on standpoint and point of view , Liesing 2022. © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pict… Read More
2022-10-15 06:45
Falco & Co
Actually, I wanted to call this post “Death and drugs and rock’n roll“. Admittedly, the title sounds pretty lurid, and yet that’s what it’s al… Read More
2022-10-11 07:25
The sound of one hand clapping
I’m sorry that the poll function didn’t work in the last posting! I should attend a course: “The Dao of WordPress”. But never mind… Read More
2022-10-08 05:22
Zhuangzi and Friedrich have some fun
For those who have landed on my blog for the first time: Friedrich, that’s me – at least most of the time, but that’s another story… Read More
2022-10-04 22:15
silly old news from The United Kimdon ®
In times like these, we all need something to cheer us up and nothing is better than the unvarnished reality, away from political correct… Read More
2022-10-02 08:05
lots of photos
Unfortunately, I’m not a professional photographer and shy away from showing mediocre things. But I’ve been asked for more photos (even with a phone call) so I… Read More
2022-10-01 02:06
Fés – Atlas – Chefchaouen
If I work a lot, but the result is less and less, that is usually an unmistakable sign that I need a vacation. And this I did now. First I tho… Read More
2022-09-28 09:01
#WordlessWednesday #china #riverscene
not much to see. river scene in china 1980. © Friedrich Zettl
A foto for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your photo… Read More
2022-09-21 06:19
#WordlessWednesday #vietnam #hanoi
it must be one of those black wires. vietnam, hanoi 2018. © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow… Read More
2022-09-17 07:25
From Dao to Zen
Zen (禪) seems to be quite popular again, which is generally very gratifying. But if you check the search engines, you will be surprised by the many superficial arti… Read More
2022-09-14 06:04
#WordlessWednesday #china #streetscene
the blind musician, tianjin 1979. © Friedrich Zettl
A foto for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your photos to tell… Read More
2022-09-10 06:54
Alea iacta est, as the old Romans said.
First of all, after my last posting about a book cover, I would like to thank you very much for your attention and especially for the livel… Read More
2022-09-07 07:43
#WordlessWednesday #srilanka #curry
amok and curry restaurant in nowhere land, north sri lanka 2016. © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just picture… Read More
2022-09-03 06:51
first the books
The summer break is over, and I’ll try to post regularly again. Many good things have happened since the last post and I want to single out one thing today.
I… Read More
2022-08-31 07:28
#WordlessWednesday #vienna #streetmusic
……even the horses jam here too. c. 2014. © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Al… Read More
2022-08-24 07:15
#WordlessWednesday #Shanghai #starbucks
yes, no coffee today. starbucks coffeeshop as a failed business. Shanghai. 2017 (?). © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday &ndash&hell…Read More
2022-08-17 06:59
#WordlessWednesday #srilanka #fish
fish and chips asian style. negombo, sri lanka 2016. © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your… Read More
2022-08-10 05:12
#WordlessWednesday #srilanka #buddha
missing them heartbreakers from siem reap. 2015. © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your p… Read More
2022-08-03 05:54
#WordlessWednesday #srilanka #buddha
electricity buddha protecting the power supply. dambula, sri lanka 2016. © Friedrich Zettl
A photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, jus… Read More
2022-07-27 07:07
retrieval by nature. old temple in ta prom, 2015. © friedrich zettlA photo for #WordlessWednesday – no words, just pictures. Allow your photos to tell the story.
rela… Read More
2022-07-23 07:38
….transience and other things
Before I write about my old sketchbook, I would like to write briefly about something indicated in my last blog post. It was all about #WordlessWednes… Read More
2022-07-20 05:55
#WordlessWednesday #Shanghai
Chaos Investment Company. Shanghai, Putong, 2013. © Friedrich Zettl
Wordless, so no explanation – I will write about that in my next post.
A p… Read More
2022-07-16 06:31
…youtube and two old stories
I uploaded a new video on youtube, it’s about my calligraphy. Well, in the broadest sense – from traditional to asemic and painted calligra… Read More
2022-07-09 05:08
paintings, bookmarks, NFT
No, don’t worry, it won’t be a self-portrayal and it’s not the title of my autobiography and no advertising for Jethro Tull either – the… Read More
2022-07-02 07:05
bookmarks and paintings
another busy week and I need to get out of there. The Chinese have a very good chengyu (idiomatic expression): 骑虎难下 qí h.… Read More
2022-06-25 06:53
a week of a semi-retired
Sometimes I’m a little dissatisfied with myself because I’m a lazy bastard. But after a week like this I think it’s enough for a semi-retiree. S… Read More
2022-06-18 03:47
…..but with real gold
Ok, not so much gold that the picture would gain in value
It’s not that I haven’t painted a lot lately, but I’m making slower progress t… Read More
2022-06-11 07:13
a traveling exhibition
After the exhibition in Beijing had to be repeatedly postponed due to the pandemic, the organizer moved the exhibition to Chongqing, to the Hong Art Museum Chongqin… Read More
2022-06-04 06:34
a couple of works related to dreams
Another topic to fill a library with But first I would like to apologize that due to a technical problem (aksimet) last week some comments unexpectedl… Read More
2022-05-28 06:34
some remarks on perception
A nice little topic. Good enough for a book or a university course . My small contribution is of course just scratching the surface. Nonetheless, it can bring u… Read More
2022-05-21 07:39
zen moments in a nutshell
A few decades ago, the term Zen moment was quite unknown in the West. Today it has become a “consumer item” and similar to the pair of terms feng shu… Read More
2022-05-14 06:41
or Ophelia 2.0 22
When most art lovers hear the word Ophelia, they probably think of one of the most famous Pre-Raphalelite paintings. Ophelia is a painting by British artist Sir John Eve… Read More
Subscribe to Friedrich Zettl Fine Arts
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!