One critical question to start with: Why would anyone want to become a painter? Why should young men or women even consider better education in this occupational field? Painters are the creative ones in construction. Their job is not limited to painting walls, preparing surfaces and applying coatings for protective and decorative purposes – it is not about "just painting walls". The profession offers a variety of interesting tasks and demanding work techniques. It is also important to remember that, in the painting, varnishing and plastering trade, technological and professional developments and changes are taking place all the time: New trends emerge, new tasks come their way, the demands on the craft – but also on the advisory work – increase permanently. In addition, a painter must be in good physical condition, demonstrate manual dexterity and have an eye for colours and shapes. Accuracy, diligence, a head for heights, prudence and a creative talent are also essential for painters.
To learn more about the profession of painter, we contacted Marco Bommer, Managing Director of Junge-Maler-Graf in Hamburg. We wanted to find first-hand information on how it came about that Junge-Maler-Graf included Le Corbusier colours in their range.
Please order a sample collection
"When Mathias Graf held the polyChro brochure in his hands for the first time in 2016, he was immediately enthusiastic: I want to offer this to my customers. He put the brochure on his partner Marco Bommer's desk with a Post-it: "Please order a sample collection for exhibition". And so the two of them became one of the first dealers for the new edition of Le Corbusier colours.
An experiment in Le Corbusier colours turns into genuine conviction
Some work of persuasion was needed, for Marco Bommer, before he could agree to this step. He knew that his long-time friend (and cousin) and also business partner had always been a big fan of Le Corbusier's architecture. He was also familiar with the name KEIM Farben. But what was so special about this colour collection that justified offering it to customers? Mathias Graf already knew the colour keyboards that make it child's play to put together colour combinations, showed design examples and, finally, the extensive presentation material offered by Les Couleurs.
Although he was almost convinced by his colleague's arguments, Bommer insisted on a practical test: The colour bleu céruléen, a light blue from the 1959 colour keyboard, was ordered. In Mathias Graf's house, a wall was painted in this colour and the effect was a complete success. Processing and effect were equally convincing. And since the colours are also environmentally friendly and healthy for the home, Marco Bommer was all the more enthusiastic.
Colours for experiment-oriented and purist customers
In the meantime, together with their partners from Materialkontor, the two have added further products such as floor coverings and wallpapers from the polyChro/Le Corbusier collection to their range. Everything is on display in a historic thatched-roof half-timbered building that has been converted into an elegant showroom using traditional and state-of-the-art materials.
The painting masters did not regret their decision. The Elbe often lacks the summer sky and above all the sea that inspired the natural colours. But it is precisely in this northern city with intense weather fluctuations that the colours prove their original character for the design of façades. In Hamburg, a place marked by an extremely dynamic construction activity, many modern residential and office buildings are being built and the old building stock is also being restored, sometimes at great expense. So far, the colours have fascinated experimental and purist customers alike.
The most exciting order with the polyChro collection? Well, the colourful striped façade was unfortunately only a retouch for the market launch.
The world is full of colours – painters are the experts in here
And so we come to the answer to the question asked at the beginning: One becomes a painter because they want work that is not boring! Many professions require looking at problems from different angles and finding a way to make things evolve and go forward. For those who love problem solving or detective work, being a painter can be a great way to use both your thinking and your skills. Whether it is in advising on colours such as those from the Architectural Polychromy or sometimes in the form of honestly advising against alternative ones. Because in the end, perfection lies in the details. And perfection is one thing that good painters will not compromise on. Professional painters pay attention to details – they make sure that all requirements are met, because only professionals are used to noticing all details.
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