Carlfriedrich Claus (1930 - 1998)

Carlfriedrich Claus

Carlfriedrich Claus is a German visual poetry artist.

In the 1950s, Claus began working on experiments that by the end of the decade led to a remarkable synthesis of written and drawn works. He created intricate small-format works on transparent paper, which he scribbled on both sides so densely that the lines formed networks and overlaps reminiscent of figures or landscapes. Carlfriedrich Claus himself considered these sheets to be a peripheral area of literature and called them "language sheets." In parallel, he was creating an acoustic work of non-semantic "sound processes".

Carlfriedrich Claus is considered one of the founders of visual poetry and his work is now internationally recognized. He also received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.