Gönül Sen-Menzel: “A Little Art Is a Must”

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Paderborn-Schloss Neuhaus. In the courtyard of the prince-bishops’ residence, a female gluteus maximus, commonly known as a backside, is taking shape under Beate Remm’s hands.

With mallet and gouge she shapes the human rear from a tree trunk. Today the 14th Summer Academy of the Cultural Office comes to an end. For twelve days, 65 experienced painters and amateur artists indulged their passion in five seminars.

“Right, now you go to the side for a bit, Karla.” Karla is what Beate Remm jokingly calls her wooden figure. The art teacher is taking part in the academy for the second time. Together with five other women, she is creating figures from tree trunks. Words are rarely exchanged; they concentrate on smoothing the wood and shaping body structures. Now and then lecturer Peter Nettesheim’s circular saw screeches, then it is quiet again.

From the stoic calm of the sculptors to the buzz of voices in the nude painters’ studio. Easels are moved, canvases stretched, music plays in the background. Then the clothes come off. “One lies down and the other walks around.” In broken German, seminar leader Gönül Sen-Menzel gives instructions to the two young models. The Cologne artist frowns on depicting mere human anatomy. She wants to bring movement into play. Many of the 15 participants are already experienced painters and hope for new inspiration from Sen-Menzel. Angelika Mittellankes from Minden is one of them. “I have been painting all my life, but she shows me how to really turn it into art,” she enthuses. Her brush glides feather-light over the white canvas, and the female curves take shape. They paint with chalk, charcoal or watercolor, pastel and acrylic paints.

There are no limits to creative energy. “A little art is a must” is Sen-Menzel’s motto. Like her students, she is thrilled with the Summer Academy. “Simply a great organization by the Cultural Office.” What’s more, a close friendship has developed between the lecturers.

Brigitte Keller can only confirm that. Under the theme “Landscape”, the participants in her course are working on large-scale collages. Fabrics, leather, newspaper clippings, photos – the most varied materials are combined into colorful works of art. Frederike Eikel can hardly wait to take her pictures home. She has called one of her works, which reflect her many years of experience, “The Eye of Islam”. “My father was a freelance painter, and I picked up a lot from him,” says the 36-year-old educator, who dreams of turning her passion into a profession. “I want to apply to study art. But I still need a lot of practice for that.” She shouldn’t be so modest, says her fellow artist Christine, who stands at the easel next to her in the corridor of the Marstall.

A spicy aroma mingles with the smell of paint and paper. It comes from the rear of the three seminar rooms – from Professor Rolf Kuhrt’s pipe. Visibly enjoying his tobacco, he helps Uschi Hecker with her woodcut. With a rubbing stick she scrapes printing ink from her paper drawing onto a wooden board. “Back-breaking work.” The physical education teacher is taking part in the course “Figurative Drawing and Woodcut” for the second time. “Here I get motivated. At home I would have put it aside long ago.”

Her work should be finished by this evening, because art lovers then have the chance to take a look into the studios and at the artists’ work in the palace park from 6 to 10 p.m.

Original caption: Female curves: when painting the nude models, Klara-Maria Uhle (74) from Paderborn wants to depict more than mere anatomy. She combines a wide variety of colors on the canvas.