Gottfried Mairwöger “Blindfold” ca. 1990

Gottfried Mairwöger is considered one of the most significant representatives of Austrian color field painting, alongside Wolfgang Hollegha. He achieved international success at a young age when he participated in a group exhibition of Austrian artists at the Wentzel Gallery in Hamburg in 1976. This exhibition caught the attention of the American art critic Clement Greenberg, who subsequently invited Mairwöger to the USA. There, he got acquainted with the works of representatives of color field painting, such as Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Helen Frankenthaler, who became important role models for him.
This luminous artwork dates back to the years around 1990. Following Greenberg’s suggestion, the artist experimented by applying the paint from the backside of the canvas. Here, it is particularly beautiful to see how the heavily diluted oil paint soakes the unprimed Molino fabric, seeping through to the front side, allowing the high-quality pigment colors to flow together and blend in a controlled manner.
As a result, vibrant and delicate color bands are created, seemingly layered like veils. The intense luminosity of this vertically oriented composition evokes associations with sunlit, colorful church windows and gives the artwork an almost metaphysical aura.