Kryptische Sphinx
Künstler/in
Johannes Steininger
(geb. 1959 in Wien)
Date1987
ClassificationsMalerei
MediumÖl auf Leinwand
Dimensions199,3 × 149 × 2,5 cm
Credit LineArtothek des Bundes
Object number21019
DescriptionA central theme in Steininger’s work is the tension between abstraction and representation, where figural objects often emerge within free, abstract compositions. In doing so, the artist establishes a visual language that extends beyond color to include forms, symbols, and constructions, which appear and reappear in countless variations.Steininger describes his utilization of abstract forms as coming “into being through colored lines and planes”, indicating that “sometimes the image only matches my vision after numerous adaptations and changes”. In Kryptische Sphinx (Cryptic Sphinx), for example, the juxtaposition of forms demonstrates the artist’s inherent need to express corporeality and figurately on his own terms — within the context of abstraction and formlessness, therein establishing a hierarchy of geometric forms that invites ongoing reinterpretation and imaginative engagement.
Text: Johannes Steininger and Artothek des Bundes
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