Sarah Kofman
The true art of living consists in seeing the wonderful in everyday things.– Bertha Eckstein
As a native of Schleswig-Holstein, I love the wide sky above the marshes – for me, it is both an inspiration and a source of tranquility. I began drawing as a child, driven by a childish ambition to emulate my older sister. Later, through anime and manga, I discovered my passion for the human body – the beginning of my portrait painting today.
Free portraits are at the core of my artistic work. Faces without a model, yet full of their own stories. They arise intuitively, in a dialogue between feeling and memory. This is how figures develop that seem both familiar and foreign – mirrors of human experiences, desires, and contradictions.
An important technical turning point was a landscape painting course based on Bob Ross, which sparked my enthusiasm for oil painting. Today I work with oil, acrylic, oil pastel, watercolor, papier-mâché, colored pencil, charcoal, ink, pencil, and much more. I find my motifs in nature—in people, animals, and landscapes, but also in social issues that move me.
The thematic focus of my art has changed profoundly since the birth of my daughter. I have come to understand that art must be more than just a craft for me—it is my means of taking responsibility. Since then, I have seen my work as part of a larger task: using art to create visibility for what otherwise remains in the shadows – discrimination, social injustice, environmental destruction. I want to touch, provoke, and give food for thought.
After the death of my stepmother, Ingrid Günther, it is a matter close to my heart to keep her artistic legacy alive in my work. I have completed some of her unfinished paintings in my own style – as a sign of gratitude and connection.
For me, art means not simply accepting the world, but constantly questioning it – with empathy, vulnerability, and hope.
On Instagram and LinkedIn, I share insights into my current work, thoughts, and processes.
As a native of Schleswig-Holstein, I love the wide sky above the marshes – for me, it is both an inspiration and a source of tranquility. I began drawing as a child, driven by a childish ambition to emulate my older sister. Later, through anime and manga, I discovered my passion for the human body – the beginning of my portrait painting today.
Free portraits are at the core of my artistic work. Faces without a model, yet full of their own stories. They arise intuitively, in a dialogue between feeling and memory. This is how figures develop that seem both familiar and foreign – mirrors of human experiences, desires, and contradictions.
An important technical turning point was a landscape painting course based on Bob Ross, which sparked my enthusiasm for oil painting. Today I work with oil, acrylic, oil pastel, watercolor, papier-mâché, colored pencil, charcoal, ink, pencil, and much more. I find my motifs in nature—in people, animals, and landscapes, but also in social issues that move me.
The thematic focus of my art has changed profoundly since the birth of my daughter. I have come to understand that art must be more than just a craft for me—it is my means of taking responsibility. Since then, I have seen my work as part of a larger task: using art to create visibility for what otherwise remains in the shadows – discrimination, social injustice, environmental destruction. I want to touch, provoke, and give food for thought.
After the death of my stepmother, Ingrid Günther, it is a matter close to my heart to keep her artistic legacy alive in my work. I have completed some of her unfinished paintings in my own style – as a sign of gratitude and connection.
For me, art means not simply accepting the world, but constantly questioning it – with empathy, vulnerability, and hope.
On Instagram and LinkedIn, I share insights into my current work, thoughts, and processes.
The true art of living consists in seeing the wonderful in everyday things.– Bertha Eckstein
“The horizon is not an end, but a beginning”
In March 2026, the Belgian art magazine The Birdwing visited Sarah Kofman in her studio and conducted a conversation that goes deeper than technique and style.
It is about grief and moving forward. About the question of what art can achieve when it wants to be more than beautiful images. And about the legacy of Ingrid Günther, Sarah’s stepmother and artistic companion, whose unfinished works Sarah continues to this day.
When asked what she wants to evoke in the viewer with her art, Sarah responds:
“For me, feeling comes first. I want my works to touch people intuitively and consciously provoke them. Because provocation often arises where we touch a sore point—on topics we would rather look away from.”
And about her portraits—which require no models:
“In my work, the ‘inner silhouette’ is clearly at the center. I let myself be guided by free lines: I begin intuitively, sometimes guided by a particular theme or feeling—and only in the painting process does a person emerge before me.”
The complete interview—with 12 questions about sources of inspiration, artistic development, and plans for the Silhouettes by the Sea platform—is available to read here:
“The horizon is not an end, but a beginning”
In March 2026, the Belgian art magazine The Birdwing visited Sarah Kofman in her studio and conducted a conversation that goes deeper than technique and style.
It is about grief and moving forward. About the question of what art can achieve when it wants to be more than beautiful images. And about the legacy of Ingrid Günther, Sarah’s stepmother and artistic companion, whose unfinished works Sarah continues to this day.
When asked what she wants to evoke in the viewer with her art, Sarah responds:
“For me, feeling comes first. I want my works to touch people intuitively and consciously provoke them. Because provocation often arises where we touch a sore point—on topics we would rather look away from.”
And about her portraits—which require no models:
“In my work, the ‘inner silhouette’ is clearly at the center. I let myself be guided by free lines: I begin intuitively, sometimes guided by a particular theme or feeling—and only in the painting process does a person emerge before me.”
The complete interview—with 12 questions about sources of inspiration, artistic development, and plans for the Silhouettes by the Sea platform—is available to read here: