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| Peter Kalkhof obituary | Peter Kalkhof obituary |
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| My colleague, the artist Peter Kalkhof, who has died aged 80, lived for more than 50 years in London but his abstract work was firmly rooted in his native Germany. | My colleague, the artist Peter Kalkhof, who has died aged 80, lived for more than 50 years in London but his abstract work was firmly rooted in his native Germany. |
| Peter was born in Stassfurt, Saxony-Anhalt, but during his childhood his family were forced to flee westwards to escape the advance of Soviet forces in the second world war. The upheaval and trauma of this period had a profound effect on him and informed his decision to become an artist. After the war, he was able to study art, first in Braunschweig, then in Stuttgart. | Peter was born in Stassfurt, Saxony-Anhalt, but during his childhood his family were forced to flee westwards to escape the advance of Soviet forces in the second world war. The upheaval and trauma of this period had a profound effect on him and informed his decision to become an artist. After the war, he was able to study art, first in Braunschweig, then in Stuttgart. |
| Having graduated and keen to travel, in 1960 he spent a year at the Slade School of Art in London, followed by another year at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1963, newly married to Jeanne Thé, a talented young jeweller born in Thailand, he returned to London, working as a lithographer at the Curwen Press and teaching part-time at Reading University, where, in 1966, he was appointed a lecturer in fine art. | Having graduated and keen to travel, in 1960 he spent a year at the Slade School of Art in London, followed by another year at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1963, newly married to Jeanne Thé, a talented young jeweller born in Thailand, he returned to London, working as a lithographer at the Curwen Press and teaching part-time at Reading University, where, in 1966, he was appointed a lecturer in fine art. |
| He lived in London for the rest of his life, making his home in Notting Hill Gate and maintaining a studio in north London. He travelled widely and exhibited regularly in London and Germany, retiring from the university in 1999. | He lived in London for the rest of his life, making his home in Notting Hill Gate and maintaining a studio in north London. He travelled widely and exhibited regularly in London and Germany, retiring from the university in 1999. |
| Peter's work, which was greatly influenced by Wassily Kandinsky, was characterised by blocks of resonating colour and an interest in geometry, philosophy and other cultures, especially those of the orient and south Asia. | Peter's work, which was greatly influenced by Wassily Kandinsky, was characterised by blocks of resonating colour and an interest in geometry, philosophy and other cultures, especially those of the orient and south Asia. |
| He held strong convictions about the transcendental qualities of art, in particular the power of organised colour and form to stimulate a heightened perception of the natural world. This was the essence of the message he strove to communicate as an artist and to instil in his students. | |
| Peter was so caught up in his work that he often neglected to take care of himself and his health deteriorated during the lengthy preparation for a major London exhibition at Annely Juda Fine Art in 2012, which was to be his finest and his last. | Peter was so caught up in his work that he often neglected to take care of himself and his health deteriorated during the lengthy preparation for a major London exhibition at Annely Juda Fine Art in 2012, which was to be his finest and his last. |
| Jeanne died in 1996. Peter is survived by their son, Peter, and one of his two brothers, Dieter. | Jeanne died in 1996. Peter is survived by their son, Peter, and one of his two brothers, Dieter. |