The Crevasse

Edgar Mueller

Edgar Müller was born in Mülheim/Ruhr on 10 July 1968. He grew up in the rural city of Straelen on the western edge of Germany. His fascination with painting began in his childhood, with paintings of rural scenes of Straelen. He went to the high school in the neighboring town of Geldern, where an international competition of street painters took place. Inspired by the transitory works of art which met him on his way to school, Edgar Müller decided to enter the competition. He took part for the first time at the age of 16, going on to win the competition, aged 19, with a copy of the famous "Jesus at Emmaus " (Caravaggio). In the years that followed, he entered many other international competitions. Since 1998 Edgar Müller has held the title of 'maestro madonnari' (master street painter), born by only a few artists worldwide. The title is awarded at the world’s largest street painting festival, called The Grazie Festival, which is held in the small pilgrim town of Grazie in Italy. Around the age of 25, Müller decided to devote himself completely to street painting. He travelled all over Europe, making a living with his transitory art. He gave workshops at schools and was a co-organizer and committee member for various street painting festivals. Müller set up the first (and so far only) Internet board for street painters in Germany - a forum designed to promote solidarity between German and International street painters. Edgar Müller opened a studio in the street. He presents people with the great works of old masters, drawing his perfect copies at the observers’ feet. Müller invites his audience to share his fascination with the old masters art, helping them to gain an in depth understanding of the old master’s view of the world. Despite attending many courses with well-known artists and extensive studies in the field of communication design, Edgar is actually an autodidact. He is always looking for new forms through which to express himself. Inspired by three-dimensional illusion paintings (particularly by the works of Kurt Wenner and Julian Beever) he is now pursuing this new art form and creating his own style. Because of his grounding in traditional painting and modern communication, Müller uses a more simple and graphic language for his art. He paints over large areas of urban public life and gives them a new appearance, thereby challenging the perceptions of passers-by. The observer becomes a part of the new scenery offered. While going about their daily life, people change the painting's statement just by passing through the scene. Edgar Müller’s extraordinary art has been widely covered in print and digital media.