Really good art never remains secret

Schirn Magazin: You were born in Stuttgart. How did that come about?

Erik Parker: My dad was at pilot school there. My mother, who is British, gave birth to me in a German hospital. My dad wanted to become a pilot so he could serve in the Vietnam War. He did three tours there, and luckily he returned safe and sound each time. By the time we left Germany I was three years old.

Is this your first time back in Germany since your childhood?

No, I’ve been back quite a few times. I like being in Germany and I like to view the exhibitions. The curators here are a whole lot more courageous than in the States; take more risks: It’s very inspiring.

You studied at the University of Texas in Austin while Peter Saul was teaching there. How did he inspire your work as an artist?

I’d never heard of him before. I was simply a Punkrock kid fresh from high school, from a humble background, and wanted to learn to paint. The fact that I had even started drawing back then was solely because I really raved about the comics in MAD magazine. And then I turned up at university and got to know a professor who also cited MAD as his main inspiration. That fascinated me: Peter came into class for half an hour and then went back to his studio to work. I was captivated – by his way of painting and by his way of living. For me, the fact that our paths crossed was a huge stroke of good fortune.

What was Peter Saul like as a teacher?

I learned from him that you have to follow your own vision of art and not some norm or other. Peter wasn’t someone who explained to his students what is good and what is bad. He never gave tips like: Paint a little more yellow there, rework that patch again. Peter seldom talked with us about painting anyway; it was usually all about everyday things. His classes were populated only by students who really wanted to work on their art. He had a trick to achieving that: At the beginning of each course he simply gave everyone top grades. Anyone who didn’t want to didn’t have to show up again.

Why do you think Peter Saul has always remained an “artist’s artist”? Why did he never have a major breakthrough?

Is that so? Interest in his work has rocketed over the last five years. And I think that trend will continue. Of course, Peter’s art is very idiosyncratic, very in your face and that’s hard to digest. No doubt it also played a role that his paintings have tended to be acquired by private collectors so for a long time they were not on public show. And then suddenly they started cropping up on social media platforms such as Instagram. I’m certain really good art can’t be kept secret.