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ANDREA NOËL KROENIG
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MICHAEL BERGER
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A
ndrea Noël Kroenig’s unique works mix the tradition of conventional painting with edgy, contemporary bursts of spray paint. A mix of multitextured abstraction and surrealism, her paintings take identifiable shapes - spheres, stripes, organic forms - then twist and tweak and redefines them in new contexts. The industrial, urban feel of her work creates a unique dynamic within the more traditional aspects of her works. Influenced by artists like Miró, Kandinsky, Picasso, and Klimt, Kroenig has also appropriated the energy of graffiti artists. The exuberance of that urban style combined with her strong compositional line, brings forth canvases that are both acknowledging the past and also stretching forward to the future. Fragmented, prismatic, yet thick in texture, her works reflect her own view of her art as a “visual experiment.”
Kroenig is unafraid of the clash of moods and meanings; her playful and ironic titles are an additional testament to that. To her, the melding of styles and creation of new sensibilities is where the vein of inspiration can be found. Mixing harsh textures with soft spheres or veined leaves, she also uses pastels to bring forth the multidimensional quality of her figurative study. The result is a body of work that is an artistic dialogue, discussing the resonance of shape and composition within an emerging new form.
Website: www.ank-art.com
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M
ichael Berger’s canvases serve as a telescope for the viewer to observe the way he perceives the universe. His paintings are harmonious and beautifully engaging studies of cosmology. His composition of colorful spheres plastered against the vast sky are reminders of how glorious and ubiquitous the universe is, as well as how insignificant our place on earth sometimes seems, perhaps light years away from many of the orbs in Berger’s work.
Berger’s use of bold, primary colors to paint the concentric celestial spheres found in his work, almost seem to suggest a simple existence - however there’s a complex science and methodology to Berger’s technique. Not only does the scale and arrangement of the orderly systems in his work seem perfectly planned, Berger also invests extensive time and thought into the materials and substances he uses to create his dynamic works. This allows the viewer to have an influence on the arrangement of spheres which can be placed in different locations on the painting.
Michael Berger earned advanced degrees in geology and geochemistry, and his educational background greatly influences the way he paints. The techniques he employs are innovative and unique. He uses a variety of materials in his work including board, wood, paper, foil, steel, Styrofoam and magnets. Acrylics and oil pastels on velour and canvas are used to create his abstract renderings of the cosmos. Retarding agents used to prolong the drying time of the acrylics allows Berger to mix different tones on the canvas when painting and ensure smoother transitions. He utilizes a thin layer of steel to ensure the magnetic retention of the half-spheres to the canvas and then uses a variety of agents and techniques to give the spheres a unique texture. All of these elements and techniques combined grab the eye of the viewer, encouraging a more interactive study of the work.
Website: www.berger-art.ch
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