Drawing, Painting and Sculpture
The sculpture with the sounding name “Challenger” ironically recreates the accident of a US space shuttle of the same name with the help of an exploding espresso machine. With a little imagination, the depiction of the cloud of smoke can be seen as a close relationship to the turned columns of a baroque altar a`la Schwanthaler. The dream of flying and the elevation to the gods, the so-called apotheosis – has been a popular theme since antiquity, which has always occupied mankind.
In the painting with the significant title “Ariane” a proximity to Baroque representations of the Assumption cannot be denied.
In contrast to Guggenbichler or Schwanthaler, however, Philipp Schweiger’s works do not deal with sacred themes but predominantly with profane ones. In particular, the artist deals with the aesthetics of everyday life.
These are mostly objects that we usually only unconsciously take note of. In his very individual way, he ironically depicts or forms them, usually with the aid of an unambiguous or ambiguous title. These include such profane things as car batteries, screw clamps, tumble dryers and similar everyday utensils.
Schweiger’s works, however, also deal with socially relevant topics, but always very sensitive and unobtrusive.
Schweiger does not do this in a striking way, even though his pictures sometimes have a similar format.
In his work “Hang em’ High”, for example, he deals indirectly with the omnipresent theme of the financial crisis. In this painting, the observer is given a glimpse into the wardrobe of a classic businessman. In the title of his work, which is ironically chosen, Schweiger already expresses the generally prevailing mood and thus “drew” – in the literal sense – a mood picture.
With a lot of humor, the artist also deals with the current media dominant theme, the leaking oil platform “Deepwater Horizon”, when he shows, in oil paintings of the same name, a tool box that was apparently left behind on the seabed during the course of the repair work.
Schweiger, however, also creates the possibility to participate in his very personal experiences and impressions, when he lets us participate in the work “Paar” in a very intimate moment of his own life, in which he, his sister, led him to the altar.
Philipp Schweiger knows how to capture the beauty of the moment and to bring it closer to us in a poetic way. His works are contemplative and invite longer contemplation.
Text: Lucas Cuturi
June 2010
Exhibition venue: Galerie Kaethe Zwach, Weyregger Straße 11, 4862 Schörfling am Attersee (Upper Austria)
Links: www.kunstnet.at/zwach/index.html, www.philippschweiger.com
