Wolf Vostell's The Fluxus Movement

Born in 1932 in Leverkusen, Germany, Wolf Vostell was influential member of multiple artistic genres and art theorist of the 20th century. Beginning his career as an apprentice in photolithography, Vostell moved on to study at the Academy of Arts of Wuppertal, Germany, remaining a student from 1854 to 1855. From that point on, Wolf Vostell began to travel across Europe, soon developing his concept of the “décollage” style while in Paris. France However, Vostell did return to his studies, attending the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris for some time before a disappointing transfer to the Academy of Art in Düsseldorf, Germany. It wasn’t until 1958 that the artist would come to his realization of what art was, a theory that would define the rest of his artistic career. After several years of in depth art studies, in the early sixties, Vostell Wolf formulated his aesthetic and political artistic viewpoints in …show more content…
Fluxus art acted as more of active works than reflective and passive, as fluxus artists often aimed to change the world and history, not the art world. As such, the works would rely on the audience’s involvement to shape the meaning, reflecting back to Vostell’s theory that “art is life - life is art.” Through his strong connection to the world around him and his understanding of how events affected society, Wolf Vostell created experience oriented works that created unique experiences and views for all who observed his works. Though he often focused on the darker aspects of the world around him, his works were not void of hope. Art is life, and life is art, and as a life can alter the meaning of art, art can change lives and the world around it, and with the strong portrayals Wolf Vostell’s works made, it’s clear that his art made its imprint on the world to change