Brigitte Thonhauser-Merk — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Apr 20

Apr 20 Brigitte Thonhauser-Merk

Biography

In her artwork the cultural heritage of the Viennese Jugendstil meets with inspirations from nature and the great masters of Modern Art she discovered in the fifties during several trips to Paris. Brigitte Thonhauser-Merk is working out her impressions according to her own fantasy with an ornamental touch or by reducing the shapes sometimes even unto abstract creations. Master of different technics that she studied at the Vienna Art School and in private lessons, she likes strong harmonious colours and clear lines as well as pouring technics together with joyful subjects. Having participated at the Salons d’Automne and the Salon des Artistes Indépendants in Paris as well as at group and sole exhibitions in different countries around the world she got several awards of excellence.

Artist Statement

A painting has to be „a feast for the eyes“ as mentioned by Delacroix

What prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

My first inspirations to start drawing came from the Art Déco (Viennese Jugendstil) drawings of my grandfather, who was involved with the „Wiener Werkstätte“, but it was not before I discovered the great masters of the Modern Art in France in the fifties that I started thinking to become an artist by myself one day.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I see myself as an artist in the sense of a creator who is able to overcome chaos and bring into reality things that have not existed before. Being in constant development as to the technics, subjects and materials I am using, I cannot be put into a certain category although there is a unity in the diversity that reveals itself to the attentive spectator, i.e. an aesthetic line and sensitivity to timeless beauty and harmony which I want to make enter the world.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

Through my art, I would like to create a haven of tranquillity and beauty for the public in midst of a world in upheaval. I am inviting the viewer to stroll my pictorial space being full of gaiety, where there is always something new to discover, to rest and recharge. My works, in which I want to pass the best in me on to others, should be a „feast for the eyes“ as mentioned by Delacroix.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

I am keeping my eyes always open to inspirations that are stored in my memory and worked out in my studio. When the time is ready, I get something like a vision of what I want to make without knowing exactly how it will come out. While I am working, I keep my spirit open to new impulses and inspirations that may occur during the creative process. Thus, I am detaching myself from my own ideas and committing to the requirements of the canvas, which is always surprising and fascinating. It is also very important to learn to lay the brush aside in the right moment. I have formed a habit of stopping when the painting is almost finished. I give it the time to take a rest from me and I, too, detach from it. The next morning, I see it anew and everything it needs for completion immediately becomes apparent.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

My favourite part of the creative process is the moment when I am getting so much one with my work that I am forgetting myself. I surrender myself to the canvas and respond to its requirements. Being so fully dedicated to my work, the creative process is becoming a spiritual act in a timeless space. This is the moment when I feel very close to God.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

During the Corona lock-down, I discovered a new technique that fascinated me: I started experimenting with pouring and the results are very promising. It will not be for a long time before I will have arrived at the end of my creative verve, which I have been engaged in with all my heart and soul.

Website http://www.atelier-merk.com

Instagram @atelier-merk