Ernestine Tahedl
S
pirituality and serenity are integral to my work," states Austrian-born painter Ernestine Tahedl. For the viewer of Tahedl, serenity is just the beginning. Tahedl's work not only captures an inspired moment of the natural world at its gentlest and most inviting, she evokes emotion and romanticism through her painterly style and rich colors. Tahedl's landscapes have both an ephemeral and a tactile quality. Her use of light renders the composition seemingly weightless, while her bold brushwork adds sensuality.
Her piece "Arioso," a three-paneled piece, speaks to her vision of serenity. Muted shades of blue fill the viewer's eye, while touches of red bloom on this still body of water. On the side of the painting, sunlight dances brilliantly on the water, capturing the exquisite moment in the afternoon when the sun sinks towards evening.
"Concerto Pastoral," a two-sided, four-paneled piece, is a variation on the theme. Using the same natural image of lilies on water, "Concerto Pastoral" is a bolder, more distinctly Impressionistic composition. Side 1 emphasizes luxuriant blues and wine-dark reds. The contrast is distinct between these color groups, yet Tahedl erases the line distinguishing between an object and its reflection. This fusion adds a fluid, growing quality to the painting, complimented by the quiet emotional candor of the work as a whole. This expressive quality is continued on Side 2 of the piece, where blue and red is repeated, this time with the emphasis on the red and gold tones of the scene. The mood of Side 2 is subdued; the bold blues have ceded to the warm-toned richness that comes with a later hour in the day. Tahedl's attention to the subtle and delicate shifts in the natural world ask the viewer to participate in a similar kind of graceful appreciation of color and light. As Tahedl states, "Color, to me, is light."
Ernestine Tahedl received her Master's Degree in Fine Art from the Vienna Academy of Applied Arts. Tahedl holds awards for her work from Austria, Canada and Japan. Her work is owned both publicly and privately and she has been exhibiting her work extensively throughout the world for over thirty years. Ernestine Tahedl currently lives and works in Ontario, Canada.