Every minute is precious

The idea for these books was inspired by medieval books of hours.

These richly illustrated works were originally used for private devotional practice. By the late Middle Ages, books of hours had become important personal books for reflection and contemplation.

Inspired by the idea of quiet contemplation through images, I hope the drawings collected here encourage thoughts to come and go freely. They may make it possible to look at the world from another angle and to question familiar ways of seeing.

The drawings can also serve as creative prompts. Viewers can respond with their own texts or other forms of expression, extend what is shown or transform it – and something new can emerge.

Some drawings were created in series, sometimes at intervals of a minute. They are drawn stories. All of them belong to an ongoing artistic process and can be brought together in different collections.

The series follows a simple principle: each book contains 60 drawings. Each page represents one minute, each volume one hour – 60 unique minutes.

About the artist

Ursula Breinl studied painting with K. R. H. Sonderborg and Joseph Kosuth at the Stuttgart State Academy of Fine Arts. After graduating, she worked as a freelance artist, particularly with woodcut and large-scale material prints.

From 1996, her work also extended into digital graphics and applied illustration. Since 2004, drawing has again become a central part of her independent artistic practice.

In 2016, she developed the format “MinutenBuch · LivreDesMinutes · BookOfMinutes” from the surreal world of her drawings. The images can be extended through the texts, drawings and voices of other people.