JEWELS AND SONGS
/Jewels and Songs: The Hilde Vogel-Michalik Collection
@ Founders Gallery
About the Artist
Untitled, Crayon on paper, 13” x 10-1/2”
Hilde Vogel-Michalik (1918 – 1999) was a German-born artist whose academic and artistic journey was little-known in her lifetime. The donation of her artworks to George Mason University has led to further research aimed at increasing the understanding and impact of her work on contemporary art history.
Vogel-Michalik began her educational path in 1939, studying English, German, and Art History at both Heidelberg and Berlin University during a tumultuous historical period. It was at the Folkwang School in Essen, under the mentorship of Professor Joseph Urbach and alongside her close friend and fellow artist Anton Felderhoff, that she developed her distinctive artistic voice. In 1955, Hilde embarked on a new chapter, immigrating to the United States with her husband, the accomplished sculptor and master stone-carver, Harold C. Vogel.
Vogel-Michalik’s work is characterized by the symbiotic relationship between color and form. Despite her formal academic training in painting, a substantial portion of her artworks gravitate toward abstraction, expressionism, and primitivism. Her creative compositions encompass landscapes, still-life representations, and figurative depictions emphasize synthesis through abstraction. Of notable significance is her love for encaustic painting, a meticulous technique distinguished by the use of heated beeswax combined with pigments and resulting in an opulent, tactile quality that distinguishes her creations.
Vogel-Michalik’s canvases, although devoid of literal representation, masterfully harness the essence of their worldly perspectives, evoking spiritual connections with Egypt, Easter Island, the Grand Canyon, Greece, and Guatemala through an exquisite interplay of colors, media, light, shadow, and form.
Central to Vogel-Michalik’s profound artistic philosophy was her deliberate choice to remain anonymous in the promotion of her works, underscoring the deeply personal and introspective nature of her creative expression. Her art was a manifestation of her inner self, and the majority of her abstract compositions were untitled, leaving the viewer to complete the experience of the artwork. Hilde tenderly referred to her creations as her "jewels" or "songs," underscoring their profound and intimate significance in her artistic and psychological journey.
These Are My Songs, Hilde Vogel-Michalik. Printed in 2002, limited edition.
In the words of Vogel-Michalik’s sister, Friedel, "A lot of Hilde’s works are the result of playing with colors and forms. You can paint what is before your eyes and what you see with your inner eye. When you blink with your eyes or change the perspective, you see different things. You can read 'out' of pictures or you can read something 'into' them." –from These Are My Songs, a collection of memoirs, poetry, and art compiled by Vogel-Michalik’s sister and her husband in 2002.
Vogel-Michalik’s art, deeply rooted in the subjective principles of expressionism, transcends the confines of physical reality, instead capturing her emotions and experiences. In her work, one can discern a bridge between the Expressionist movement of her native Germany and the younger generation of Abstract Expressionists in her adopted country.
Hilde Vogel-Michalik's art remains an enduring source of inspiration and captivation, inviting viewers to explore the intricate tapestries of color, form, and emotion.
About the Collection
Between 2005 and 2011 Harold C. Vogel generously donated to George Mason University's SciTech Campus, over 2,000 paintings made by his wife, Hilde Vogel-Michalik. The collection features a diverse and extensive range of Vogel-Michalik’s artistic output, including oil paintings, graphite sketches, watercolors, ink compositions, and encaustic wax paintings. Many of her artworks have been installed in locations across Mason’s Arlington, Fairfax, and Manassas campuses. Special thanks to Ronald Carmichael and Deborah Weitzman-Ward for their care and commitment to preserving the Hilde Vogel-Michalik collection.
Curated by Sophie Bae
EXHIBIT IMAGES
INSTALLATION VIEWS
