An artist of words and colors

Janosch, born Horst Eckert on March 11, 1931 in Hindenburg, Upper Silesia (now Zabrze, Poland), is a German author and painter known for his unique children's books and his talent for painting. His work is characterized by a lively combination of colors, shapes and poetic texts that enchant children and adults alike.

Janosch grew up in difficult times and experienced World War II firsthand. Despite these challenges, he developed a penchant for drawing and painting at an early age. After the war, he studied art at the Munich Art Academy for a short time before deciding to pursue his artistic career as a freelance artist.

It was his literary work, however, that made Janosch nationally known. With his children's books, such as "Oh, How Beautiful is Panama" and "Mail for the Tiger," he captured the hearts of children and adults alike. In his books, he combined his painting with loving stories and created a magical world in which animals can talk and adventures lurk around every corner.

Almost all of Janosch's stories have an independent and whimsical humor, restrained in places and always playful, which is successfully rendered in light pen and ink drawings on a broad color palette. His heroes are memorable figures, which in his early works were still often depicted as children or objects, but since the seventies have increasingly given way to animal figures. Janosch developed a recurring repertoire of animal figures, of which the best known have become the tiger, the bear and the frog. With the character of the Tiger Duck, a cult figure was launched via the children's club of the same name on television, which triggered a cross-media interest in Janosch's creations in the 1990s.

Janosch's pictorial work is inseparable from his books. In his illustrations, he uses a vibrant and expressive color palette to bring characters and landscapes to life. His paintings are often characterized by a naive yet poetic mood. Janosch manages to create a link between the real world and fantasy through his painting, opening the doors to a world of possibilities.

As a painter, Janosch has also created an impressive range of works independent of his books. His paintings range from abstract compositions to detailed portraits and landscapes. His artistic versatility and distinctive style have earned him a place on the contemporary art scene.

Janosch's painterly work is characterized by a playful delight in colors and forms. His paintings invite the viewer to dive into a world of fantasy and creativity. Janosch has managed to inspire generations of readers and art lovers with both his words and his brushstrokes. His unique contribution to literature and art will remain unforgotten in the future.