The exhibition of Austrian painter Gutruf at the Beijing International Yi Yuan Museum (June 5th – 30th) has unexpectedly fascinated Chinese painters and audience.
To find out the reason, one must step into the museum to face the paintings, to feel and ponder upon them. Gutruf’s works, with the theme of “Space and Time”, belong neither to the classicism nor to the post-modernism. His works have the features of being miraculous, enigmatic and capricious. Multiplicity seems to be a backbone. For example, in his “Space Series”, “Machine Landscapes”, “The Great Colosseum” and “Paraphrases”, he combines technology with painting, more importantly, he shows a strong interest in his own age. By observing the possible questions of human beings, he tries to express the thought of an ideal world.
Another point one might notice about Gutruf is that, there are few topics of Austria in his works. Some critics say, Gutruf is not an Austrian artist in its traditional sense. His works are not suitable for his native art market. He holds his exhibitions most of all abroad. He does not belong to any art trend, but to his own stubborn art ideology. Thus, is Gutruf more of an international art representative? Perhaps this is the reason why many painters and audience are interested in him.” Beijing Daily, 14. Juni 2000.