The two artists, painter and illustrator Dirk Sommer and photographer Bernhard Strauss, are traveling through Andalusia in November 2011 to capture impressions of bullfighting culture and its venues.
From the outset, the idea has been to merge the medium of photography with the medium of painting/drawing.

On their tour, they visit the following places: Malaga, Carratraca, Ronda, Ubrique, Arcos de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barameda, Chipiona, El Puerto de Sta. Maria, Cadiz, Tarifa, Algeciras, Estepona, Marbella, and Torremolinos.

Strauss photographs the architecture of the arenas, both en gros and en détail, the surrounding neighborhoods and landscapes in which the arenas are embedded, as well as impressions of a young torero practicing or sculptures of the Madonna worshipped by the toreros before the bullfight. Dirk Sommer accompanies the photo shoot, creating sketches and initial drawings. Further photographs are taken at the bull farm in the hinterland of Arcos. A vast panoramic view, bulls of all weights and ages, and horses are the fascinating motifs in a barren landscape stretching endlessly to the horizon.

After returning from his trip, Dirk Sommer paints works on canvas and creates drawings based on his impressions. He also uses the numerous photographs he took during his travels. This results in drawings such as Torero with Cloth. Dirk Sommer’s color palette reflects the typical colors of these landscapes and buildings, as well as the typical props and symbols of bullfighting scenes.

These works are then reprographed again and combined with the photographs in a second artistic process, united in graphic editing. In their joint editing, the artists use a wide variety of levels and editing stages. This creates a coexistence of media, with neither photography nor drawing or painting dominating. This approach marks a completely new artistic path.