There are years when art can really show what it is capable of. With a confident smile, it also faces up to viruses, fears and worries, because these are the special challenges that really bring out its power and greatness.
We were lucky because our art weeks in the Naturpark Pöllauer Tal started immediately after the lockdown was lifted. After much trepidation as to whether Styrian Summer Art would be able to take place at all in its 15th year, our exuberant joy could no longer be contained.
The numerous artists, who offered their workshops either repeatedly or for the first time, seemed to feel the same way. The craving for art seemed to have spread uncontrollably during the lockdown, and it was wonderful to notice that despite social distancing, the obligation to wear masks and a latent fear of the possible spread of the virus or even clustering, neither warmth nor devotion had evaporated - on the contrary. Cheerfulness blew through all the rooms like a gentle summer breeze. The light seemed to fall even more intensely on the delicate Blütenillustrationen by Alois Wilflings protégés. The enthusiastic oil painters, who met with Ölmaler*innen, die mit Julia Bauernfeind at the Ölmühle Fandler seemed to let their creative potential take off to new heights.
The venerable refectory in Pöllau Castle, where association co-founder and exceptional artist Eftichia Schlamadinger led colour explosions in acrylic, provided the familiar bombastic backdrop even in a year of crisis, and just how versatile a space for the creation of art can be was demonstrated a week later when literary poets and word artists gathered there to learn from music-loving writer Semier Insayif . He then whisked his creative group away to the castle park, where texts were allowed to unfold in a natural setting.
However, anyone curious enough to look over the shoulders of the creatives would also come across other impressarios: in another corner of this beautiful parkland, the multi-talented sculptor Martin Gollowitsch instructed his protégés, equipped with chainsaws and carving tools, in the creation of wooden sculptures - impressive is the appropriate term here.
Meanwhile, creative craftsmanship also found its place at Jufa: Barbara Schmid not only gave her enthusiastic clay artists valuable professional tips, but also gave them a wealth of inspiration and ideas to use freely in her humour and loving manner. The fact that sewing can be an art form that can be wonderfully combined with philosophical and aesthetic approaches was demonstrated by the dreamlike works of the ladies around Bettina Halder and Sylivia Bausch-Rassi, which were also created at Schloss Pöllau.
With the third and final week of Styrian Summer Art, all capacities were finally exhausted - spatially, artistically and organisationally: while Adele Radzkövi taught her drawing students the fine art of portrait drawing and later also figurative drawing in the bright corridors of the upper arcades, the refectory below was once again high and above all colourful, as Helga Piffl ‘fans’ once again made a pilgrimage to her workshop for acrylic painting this year. With enormous effort and maximum motivation, cool ladies under the guidance of Helga Chibiziura created impressive eye-catchers using the screen printing process, which they are sure to be envied many times over.
Claudia Dzengelwas once again in charge this year in the truest sense of the word, with her workshop in pointed feather calligraphy attracting manually talented writers to the magnificent refectory of Pöllau Castle. At the same time, the art of Improvisationstheaters took place in the wonderful Freskensaa. Alice Mortsch once again managed to perfectly stage her drama students. There was also a lot of laughter, which fuelled the feel-good atmosphere that already prevailed, and the princely oriel room created an inspiring ambience for Enrico Jacobs Literaturwerkstatt, where exciting, topical and imaginative works were created in conspiratorial group work. Pottery artist Töpfereikünstlerin Sigrid Hofbauer made her workshop in her picturesque home in Pöllau available to her followers. The loving ‘Privatissimum’ was enthusiastically received.
Lively, spirited and highly talented, the young stars who showed off their skills at Jufa also proved themselves in this year of crisis. Acting was on the programme of Brugner & Hütter and culminated in an extremely well-attended outdoor performance, while the original exhibits in clay, created under the direction of Barbara Schmid, were also made openly accessible to relatives and fans. The fact that it was raining in the nature park did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the artists and the public. The oil paintings presented by children and young people under the patronage of Julia Bauernfeind were also impressive.
With this in mind, we would like to thank the ladies and gentlemen of Jufa Pöllau, the Fandler oil mill, the Pöllau Valley Nature Park tourist office and the Gemeinde Pöllau who were always there to help us. Of course, a big compliment also goes to the excellent cuisine of the inns and restaurants in Pöllau, above all the Schlosswirt Schmitz and the wonderful inns Stelzer-Hubmann, Ritter, Haider and the Parkcafé in the Schlosspark.
