Herbert Brandl

What strikes the observer first about this untitled painting by Herbert Brandl (*1959, Graz, AT) is its size and the bold juxtaposition of two colour fields, which are clearly delineated and differ significantly in their manner of application. While the larger green part bears evidence of brisk palette knife strokes, the overall tone of the smaller blue part is more tranquil. This tension can be understood not only as an abstract play between colour and application but also figuratively. The painting brings to mind a hazy landscape, reflecting perhaps the sky above a clearing or the view from a grassy bluff down to the sea. Brandl himself describes his works as born of remembered impressions of photographs. The fluid perceptual transition between abstract colour and hints of figuration provides the visual pull of this large-scale work. Brandl offers up his memories to the observer for them to create their own associations and at the same time reflects the very medium of painting.