Jakob Gasteiger Untitled 2013

Jakob Gasteiger (*Salzburg 1953) developed his minimalist pictorial concept in the early 1980s and has consistently pursued it ever since. In his two studios in Vienna and Lower Austria he is artistically active both as a painter and a sculptor.

In his paintings, Gasteiger uses a comb spatula to shape the color, be it thicker oil paint or smoother acrylic paint. The cardboard comb takes the place of the painter’s brush. Of great importance is the rhythmic implementation of the meticulously planned relief structures. Random also matters in this process. Thus, the artist himself states about his work: “I do have a precise idea regarding format, color, paint texture, comb thickness, structure direction, but these parameters also determine me and thus the result.”

For many years, Gasteiger produced mainly monochrome paintings, whose surface was enlivened by the relief motifs and the multi-layered effect of light and color. Only in recent years has the artist broadened the color spectrum, as could be impressively seen in the neon-colored works at Albertina-exhibition.

His firm place in Austrian contemporary Fine Art is documented by solo exhibitions in major museums, such as the Salzburg Museum (2016) or most recently the Albertina, Vienna (2021).