Don Reichert facts for kids

Don Karl Reichert (born January 11, 1932 – died September 8, 2013) was a Canadian artist. He was mostly known for his paintings, especially in a style called abstract expressionism. But he was also a talented photographer and created art using computers and digital tools.

Don Reichert's Art Journey

Don Reichert was born in Libau, Manitoba, Canada, in 1932. His parents had moved there from Austria. He loved art and studied it in different countries like Canada, Mexico, and England. Later, starting in 1964, he taught art at the University of Manitoba. When he was younger, a famous art critic named Clement Greenberg visited Winnipeg in 1963. Greenberg was very impressed with Don Reichert's work. He said Reichert had the most potential among all the artists he saw in the city.

Painting Styles

Reichert's early paintings often mixed two styles. One was abstract expressionism, which uses bold, free brushstrokes to show feelings. The other was "color field composition," where large areas of color are used to create a mood. He also made black-and-white paintings that looked like Asian calligraphy, which is a beautiful way of writing. Some of his art used images from Latin America, especially old Mayan skull designs found in ancient ruins.

Painting Outdoors

Don Reichert was perhaps most famous for his very large paintings. He often painted these outdoors. Even though they were abstract, they showed the landscapes around him. This included the forests and lakes of the Canadian Shield. He had a special way of painting. He would lay his large canvases on the uneven ground. This allowed the texture of the earth beneath to subtly become part of the artwork.

Photography and Digital Art

Reichert also created multimedia art. This included photographs that he painted over. He often used elegant splattering or dripping paint, similar to the artist Jackson Pollock. He also made art that combined photographs with paintings. Since Reichert was a skilled pilot, many of these were aerial photographs. This showed his continued interest in landscape art from a new perspective.

Collaborations and Recognition

Don Reichert worked closely with Robert Archambeau, a famous ceramic artist. Both of them had studios in a faraway Canadian town called Bissett, Manitoba. In 1992, the Winnipeg Art Gallery held a special show of his past works, called a retrospective. He also helped start and was part of an arts magazine called Border Crossings. In 2013, Don Reichert became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. This is a special honor for Canadian artists.

Where You Can See His Art

Don Reichert's artwork is in many important art collections. These include:

• The National Gallery of Canada
• The Art Gallery of Ontario
• The Montreal Museum of Fine Art
• The Winnipeg Art Gallery
• The Canada Council Art Bank

See also

• Aerial photography
• Aerial landscape art