Jorg Schmeisser

Jorg Schmeisser’s etchings display a reverence for nature and culture,  and an unrivaled technical prowess. Many of the images demonstrate the artist’s fascination with landscape and architecture, while other portray objects observed in nature. His prints often include descriptive text, usually in German, which becomes an integral part of the composition. 

Born in Stolp, Pomerania in 1942, Schmeisser attended art school in Hamburg, Germany, and took his post-graduate work at the Fine Arts University of Kyoto, Japan.  He moved to Canberra, Australia in 1978 to head the Printmaking department of the Australian National University. His work has been shown in more than 130 solo exhibitions world-wide and is represented in major private and public collections such as the Princeton University Graphic Arts Collection; the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the National Gallery of Australia; and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.  

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Schmeisser has always been inspired by travel, his imagination fired by the unfamiliar and unknown. He has traveled extensively in the Middle East, Israel, Greece, Italy, Australia, India, Cambodia, China, and Japan, and most recently to Angkorand Antarctica. His early work recording archaeological finds led to the precision and detail characteristic of much of his later work. Since making his home in Canberra, Australia, twenty years ago, travel has continued as an integral source of inspiration.

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A favorite Greek poem of the artist, titled "Ithaka" provides a clue to his lifelong intent:

When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction

rich with all you have gained on the way
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.