Jörg Schmeisser

"Ask that Your Way Be Long…"

An exhibition of etchings inspired by and created during the artist’s extensive journeys throughout the world.

Exhibit at The Williams Gallery

November 1 - November 22, 1997

Opening Reception at The Williams Gallery. Saturday, November 1, 3:00 - 5:00 PM. Artist will be present.

Public Lecture by Jörg Schmeisser. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the James M. Stewart Film Theater, Princeton University, Creative Arts Building, 185 Nassau St. 4:30 PM.

About the Artists

Jörg Schmeisser returns to Princeton in October 1997 as recipient of a Princeton University Council of Humanities Fellowship. During his stay he will work in Firestone Library and in the printmaking workshop, Creative Arts Program. In conjunction with his visit a selection of the artist’s works will be on display in the Graphic Arts Collection of the Firestone Library and in a major solo exhibition at The Williams Gallery.

Born in Pomerania in 1942, Jörg studied at the Hamburg Fine Art Academy 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 Workshop of the Australian National University, Canberra School of Art.

Schmeisser began his extensive travels in 1965 with a trip through the Middle East. Over the next decades he developed a strong interest in archaeology while working in a number of digs. The faithfulness to form and detail that he developed while drawing for archaeological publications is still a hallmark of many of his recent works. He has continued to travel extensively throughout Europe, Asia, the Mid-East, Australia and the United States.

The 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, New York; Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris and the Kunsthalle, Hamburg.

Jörg Schmeisser’s etchings, often done ‘in situ’, display a reverence for the forms and intricacies of nature and culture married to an unrivaled technical prowess. Many of the images demonstrate the artist’s fascination with landscape and architecture, while others portray with great accuracy objects observed in nature. His prints often include descriptive text, usually in German, which becomes an integral part of the composition. A favorite Greek poem of the artist, titled "Ithaka" by Constantinos Cavafis 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."
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