According to Löwentraut, artistic proficiency is a matter of natural talent, which can be cultivated but not acquired. Since he discovered painting at the age of eight through his mother’s creative endeavors, painting has been an ever-growing passion for Löwentraut. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Pablo Picasso are among his major influences, and Löwentraut’s vibrant palette and graffiti-esque style is definitely testament to the impact of these artists.

About the exhibition Ongoing thing^21 Löwentraut says, “I’ve been inspired by unique places, such as Ibiza and Saint Petersburg and absorbed the colors as well as the vibe of the respective city and apart from that engaged with its people and their behavior. I observed how people behave alone, in groups, in and out of relationships, and re- flected my thoughts through a pencil.” Löwentraut has a natural inclination to study and depict the people around him, concurrently conveying their demeanor and ex- pressing his own feelings on the canvas. One can argue that the faces in his paint- ings bear similarities to masks; simultaneously connected to abstraction and familiar figuration, Löwentraut accentuates facial expressions and gestures with bright, con- trast-filled colors.

Leon Löwentraut (b. 1998 in Kaiserslautern) was first exhibited at a gallery in Munich at age 15. Since then he has exhibited in Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Sin- gapore, Switzerland, the United States, and Denmark. Leon Löwentraut lives and works in Düsseldorf.