Watercolorist Markus Magenheim uses only one color to create his paintings and portraits: Caput Mortuum. Caput Mortuum technically belongs to the iron oxide reds and simply means "skull". Why medieval alchemists called the reddish powder Caput Mortuum remains unknown, although legends tell us that the color resembles the coagulated blood of decapitated offenders. For Markus Magenheim, Caput Mortuum has never lost its fascination, even if he is not bothered by medieval methods of execution. In fact, he uses the exceptional characteristics of this special color to give his portraits depth and three-dimensionality. By using a single color, he focuses on the "bone structure" of his image themes, just as old black and white photographs did. The artist's paintings generally do not show real-life situations like a snapshot would, but are carefully composed. The protagonists - most of them people from the artist's environment - are placed in a context which often has nothing to do with their real living conditions. Markus Magenheim studied arts in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. He now lives in a small town near Heidelberg. In recent years he has been represented in numerous exhibitions, including showing his paintings in a One Artist Show at art KARLSRUHE 2022.

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The watercolorist Markus Magenheim only uses one single color in order to create his paintings and portraits: Caput Mortuum.

Caput Mortuum belongs technically to the iron oxide reds and simply means "skull". Why medieval alchemists called the reddish powder Caput Mortuum remains unknown, even though the legends tell us that the color resembles the clotted blood of  beheaded delinquents.

For Markus Magenheim Caput Mortuum never has lost its fascination, although he's not bothered by medieval execution methods.

Actually he uses the outstanding characteristics of this special color in order to give his portraits depth and three-dimensionality. By using a single color he focuses on the 'bone structure' of his picture themes just like old black and white photographs did.

The artist's paintings usually don't show real situations in a way a snapshot does, but are carefully composed. The protagonists - mostly people from the artist's environment - are placed in a context, that often has nothing to do with their actual living conditions.

Markus Magenheim studied the arts at Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. He now lives in a small town near Heidelberg. In recent years he has been represented at numerous exhibitions, including showing his paintings in a One Artist Show at art KARLSRUHE 2022.