ULFERT WILKE
009, ink on paper, 20.5" x 15"

Ulfert Wilke was born in Bavaria, Germany in 1907.  He immigrated to
the United States in 1938 and died in Solon, IA in 1987.  Wilke
received his MA from the University of Iowa and later became the
University of Iowa Museum of Art's first director.  Ulfert Wilke was
director from 1968- 1975.

Wilke had a passion and fascination for the written language, drawing
most of his inspiration from it to create an abstract view of shape,
color, and texture.  Wilke found inspiration in the calligraphy of the
Japanese Zen masters and in the numerical symbols of ancient people.
Studying each writing style to further develop his own from of
calligraphy, Wilke saw beauty in all forms of written language,
whether it was found in poetry, on plates, or as engravings.  He
utilized acrylics, ink and watercolor to represent his abstract view
of language, space and time.  Wilke was a painter who also collected
paintings throughout his pursuit of artistry.

text and image from The Chait Galleries Downtown