A million dots of light and shadow

Countless tiny dots come together in Walter Grässli's works to form a luminous play of colors and contrasting harmonies. The compositions can be read as abstract representations of images created by life itself—observations, landscapes, small details, and atmospheric moods, ideas, hopes, dreams, and destinies. At least as important as the motif, however, is the color itself, which seems to be the subject rather than the material. In his paintings, Grässli plays with stark contrasts and gentle transitions, sometimes allowing bright embers to collide with blue depths, then weaving fine gradations between blue and white in a meandering pattern. The individual areas of color appear sharply defined, but in fact, due to the pointillist technique, they only take shape in the viewer's eye. Above all, however, all the colors in the mosaic-like arrangements are so symbiotically intertwined that they unfold their strongest effect especially in contrast, supporting and referring to each other. The play of colors is simultaneously a staging of their impact; calm and stability form the foundation for passion and energy, a dark heaviness shares the space with cheerful lightness. Because: »Shadows mean darkness, but not absolute darkness. Shadows only arise where there is light. And light also means hope. Hope that dies last!« (Walter Grässli)

Walter Grässli was born in 1943 in Werdenberg, with approximately 60 inhabitants the smallest town in Switzerland, which has no shortage of small towns. Today, Grässli is what one might call a Renaissancemensch (universal artist). Even as a child, he was fascinated by colors and painted with great passion. He trained as a decorative painter in Buchs (Switzerland), but was unable to attend a preliminary course at a school of design, so he taught himself the basics of artistic painting. However, he did go on to study at the Ecole supérieure nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, followed by a stay in London. Back in Switzerland, Grässli worked as an advertising designer and studied at the School of Design in St. Gallen. After a formative internship at the Pestalozzi Children's Village in Trogen, he obtained a teaching diploma in visual arts at what is now the ZHdK and continued his education at the University of Zurich.

Grässli taught at the Cantonal School in Wattwil for over 35 years and, for a time, also taught color theory at the Zurich University of the Arts. His teaching was accompanied by intensive study of art history and color theory, which led to numerous publications and lectures. He designed a large number of stage sets, was involved in various aspects of art in architecture, designed stained glass windows, portals, murals, and reliefs, and pursued his own painting, which is regularly exhibited in numerous exhibitions. He and his wife, textile designer Theresia Grässli-Müller, have four children, all of whom are also involved in the arts.

More about the artist: Walter Grässli's artist page