Paul Schrader

- V I T R A  H O M E  S T O R I E S -

This winter, we take a look behind the doors of three homes. First, we will visit the house of art collectors Karin and Xavier Donck in the old quarter of Ghent. We are then invited to the rural haven of stylist Adeline and farmer Florent Maillet. And finally, artist Paul Schrader welcomes us to his urban oasis in Hamburg, where he both lives and works. These three spaces and their interiors are as different as their residents which is reflected in the selection of Vitra products.

Paul Schrader has created a studio and home for himself and his art. He first worked as a lawyer before becoming a freelance artist. He lives and works in Hamburg, Germany.

When I graduated high school, I didn’t think being an artist was a real profession. I first studied law and became a lawyer. But painting was always there. I believe that when you feel a burning passion for something, you release energy and create things that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to achieve.

Inspiration is like a spring or a river. The next flow of ideas always comes, but you can’t tell when. It might be at night or while riding the subway. For me, it’s mainly colour combinations, inner landscapes or dreamscapes. It’s a feeling that I then express in colours. I live and work in different places, but this is my base, this is where I like to paint the most. It doesn’t work everywhere. A house is like a canvas. Mine has very high walls and high ceilings, all in white, and the paintings are displayed against this background.

‘Painting is a very private process – you need to feel secure and at ease. You need a place where you can open up and let go.’

I like to keep my furniture in the same spot. Once it fits, it fits. It’s like a painting that you compose and then is never changed. When it comes to furnishing, I don’t follow a strategy: I like something, and it all sort of fits together and just like a painting, furniture can function as a time capsule. The moment of creation has passed, but there was someone who painted it or, in the case of furniture, who designed it. When you see an art work, you recognise an intrinsic value, a cultural context in mind. The author, the time and the work merge into a single idea. That also applies to classic furniture.

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Text and Images: vitra©