translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
160614: Startgalerie im MUSA: Matthias Bernhard – Pictures in love
Startgalerie im MUSA
Matthias Bernhard – Pictures in love
16.05.2014 – 18.06.2014
A pied heap of colour
By Wolfgang Pichler
That a pure oil painting can become an object the moment one heaps enough colour on to it has been known at least since Eugene Leroy. And in his current show, Mathias Bernhard, born 1985, also avails himself of what has become standard usage in the repertoire of modern painting. However, here it's not simply a thick layer of colour as in the more or less known objects ranging from those created by Kiefer to Damisch, but many small sculptures of layers of colour which grow out of the canvas and yet give the whole a sense of harmony. The allure of these pictures lies in the discrepancy between looking at them from far and from close, because looked at closely it's about landscapes out of linseed oil and pigment, from a distance of a few meters, however, they are naive-abstract, very colourful pictures which to some extent, remind one of the organic pictures of Gunter Damisch referred to above. The sole thing that holds these two completely disparate impressions together remains the intensive smell of linseed oil, which is peculiar to all relatively new oil paintings. That other, also very successful not object-like, small format pictures on paper are also to be seen, already shows that it's all about a versatile artist with his own unmistakable style.
Admittedly, a prone object of oil paint on canvas clearly emphasizes the object-like character of the pictures, but is not, however, necessary and somewhat clouds the otherwise harmonious impression. It is also fascinating that here, a completely new generation is practicing and living a kind of art that is actually associated with the 1980's and the heyday of the postmodern era. Different from Leroy cited at the beginning of this article, who was more style-defining and at the height of his fame in the middle of the 20th century, Bernhard rather focuses on the play with colour.
Startgalerie im MUSA
1010 Vienna, Felderstrasse 6-8, next to the Town Hall
Tel: +43 (0)1 4000 8400
E-mail: musa@musa.at
http://www.musa.at
Opening hours: Tue, Wed, Fri: 11:00 - 18:00; Thu 11:00 - 20:00; Sat 11:00 - 16:00 hours
160614
Startgalerie im MUSA
1010 Wien, Felderstraße 6-8, neben dem Rathaus
Tel: +43 1 4000 8400, Fax: +43 1 4000-99-8400
Email: musa@musa.at
http://www.musa.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Mi, Fr 11-18, Do 11-20, Sa 11-16 h
Startgalerie im MUSA
1010 Wien, Felderstraße 6-8, neben dem Rathaus
Tel: +43 1 4000 8400, Fax: +43 1 4000-99-8400
Email: musa@musa.at
http://www.musa.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di, Mi, Fr 11-18, Do 11-20, Sa 11-16 h