Only her picture with a mourning ribbon, instead of the artist herself, was shown at the exhibition, which Constanze Wagner had a decisive influence on until shortly before her death.
But there was also good news: Your work will continue in the city's art scene for a long time to come.
Germering - When Constanze Wagner suggested a topic to her painting students, the first reaction often came: It doesn't work.
Then you approached the task in lengthy discussions, and at some point everyone was enthusiastic about the work.
“In the end it didn't seem like it was her idea,” recalls Christine Bader.
For many years she was a member of Constanze Wagner's vhs artist group.
Then the point was reached that the gifted educator wanted to get at.
Everyone had internalized the subject in such a way that they were able to create an authentic work of art.
The last exhibition that came about in this way can currently be seen in the forum of the town hall.
It is entitled "The Unusual Format".
Constanze Wagner had been in charge of the project since 2018, and the Germeringen artist, who died in July, could no longer witness the completion.
She accompanied each participant in their work as long as possible - in the Corona year 2020 mainly by zoom.
"We had a lot of fun developing the works of art," says Lutz Walczok.
He is the organizer of the exhibition together with the vhs.
Nothing staged, but honest art should be created.
That was Constanze Wagner's claim to herself and her students.
A tour of the Stadthallen-Forum shows how impressively this has been achieved.
The exhibition is also an obituary for the important artist who was known far beyond Germering's borders and who left many traces in her adopted home of many years.
Mayor Andreas Haas has never seen it as instructive, but as "kind, very determined and direct, always aimed at a specific goal".
Originally the topic should have been called “The extraordinary format”, reported Lutz Walczok.
But that seemed to be going too far.
With "unusual" you chose a term that was one size smaller.
The shape and color of the pictures and installations are deliberately and skillfully out of place.
In delicate, airy sky and landscape paintings, Waltraud Kapfhammer has sometimes broken up the rectangular picture form by missing corners, sometimes shifted small rectangles one on top of the other. Bernhard Dreyer chose narrow, arched vertical formats for a whole series on the subject of heights. It's about high heels, tall animals, force majeure - painted so skilfully with loose brushstrokes as if you were looking at the motif through fluted glass.
Christine Bader wrapped a picture frame with sewn and knotted fabric.
She forced another into foil, burned holes in it and painted over the whole thing.
Christina Greil designed a compact roll collage from tubes, which she wrapped in canvas and painted.
The result is a densely packed work in which one should discover something new even when looking at it umpteenth time.
Heidrun Hollstein painted the music of John Cage - dark and light colors represent the transition from low to high notes.
As different as the works for the exhibition are, the artists agree on one thing: the group should continue to exist.
"It has led us hobby artists on a professional path," says Lutz Walczok.
The "friendly, warning words" with which Constanze Wagner guided and encouraged will resonate for a long time.
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