German artist Alexandra Telgmann participated in the oil painting competition held by New Tang Dynasty Television for the second time this year. Her artwork “Golden Ocean” was selected for the 7th NTD Realistic Figure Painting Competition.
In the painting, her daughter Mila Marie is leisurely floating in the water, eyes closed, enjoying the sun and tranquility. Telgmann, specializing in painting flowing water, mentioned that she spent a long time observing water. She discovered that when you squint and observe the sea surface, you see golden patterns there. So, she chose to use 24K gold foil to represent this visual effect.
“This work is meant to showcase this peaceful state,” she said. In our fast-paced world, where everything is bustling and chaotic when we step outdoors, “my paintings are about peace, beauty, submission, and healing in nature.”
During the interview, Telgmann repeatedly mentioned the term “healing.” She believes that a high-level realistic painting can “heal people,” and the artist can also experience “healing” through contact with nature during the creative process. In some ways, she said, the NTD oil painting competition also “healed” her.
“In England, doctors recommend people to go to museums to heal their minds, to focus their attention. Because in our fast-paced world, we are constantly surrounded by various digital information,” Telgmann said. “Standing in front of a painting, truly appreciating the work that the artist spent hours or even months creating, is a wholehearted interaction.”
Telgmann believes that “water” is pure, natural, capable of calming tension and inducing tranquility. So, she chose “water” as the subject to express the feeling of “peace, submission, and beauty” she desires.
“For me, creating artwork that can calm viewers down, letting them know how to reconnect with nature, is especially important,” she said. “We are all made of water, we come from water, so water is our natural element. When you’re feeling tense, lying in the sea, you can’t hear much sound, everything becomes hazy… You lie there, you relax, completely immersed in the water element of nature.”
As she sat by the seaside carefully observing the flow of water, she found inspiration for her painting in the simultaneously dynamic and serene water.
Telgmann mentioned that she often spends several months simultaneously working on multiple paintings, not counting the time consumed.
“Just like reading a book, you want to immerse yourself in it without feeling pressured to finish it in 10 hours. The same goes for painting; you have to create the best work in the moment, time is not important, whether you spend 10 hours or two months, just go paint, it must reach perfection at the right time,” she said.
Telgmann participated for the first time in 2023, and that experience left an immensely positive impression on her. That’s why she is participating again this time.
Telgmann mentioned that she used to be someone not good at expressing herself verbally, but through participating in the competition, she could open up and have discussions with her peers about her artistic experiences. In this sense, “the competition healed me,” she said.
“Last time, I learned how to deal with such situations, how to stand there, how to talk about my art, how to discuss my team. And that’s what I learned in this exhibition,” she said. “In the end, I did it, it really healed me.”
During the competition, Telgmann met many outstanding peers, and saw many excellent works. She said she learned a lot.
“For example, that white jumpsuit,” she pointed to a nearby painting, “I observed how it was depicted, what colors were used to depict the girl’s dress. So, I observe the artworks in this exhibition, learn how my peers use various elements. I will focus on a certain color, like I saw this artist used a slightly peachy apricot color, maybe I can incorporate it into my painting.”
Telgmann said that everything she saw in this competition is “closely related” to her creations, “Everything I see here today will definitely influence my future artistic creations.”
For all these reasons, Telgmann is grateful to New Tang Dynasty.
“Before coming here, I felt honored, but when I saw the high-level skills and beautiful paintings around me, I felt even more honored,” she said. “I can’t believe it. When I came here, I was amazed. To see contemporary artists exhibiting with such superb skills and realistic styles in such a historic place is very rare. For me, being here is a great honor. I am full of gratitude for this.”