Woodcut Portrait of Martin Luther Painting

Whoever wants o visit Oskar Stocker in his studio, must have his cell-phone number, as he has no nameplate or doorbell which would reveal that he runs a workshop in an inner courtyard in the Gries district of Graz; a loft of approximately 300 square meters, piled up with pictures leaning against the walls but also covering great areas of the floor during busy periods, so that only a corridor of blue felt carpet can lead you into the depth of the room. Dozens of faces, mostly in large formats, glance at the viewer: Oskar Stocker almost exclusively paints portraits. The artist was born in Osttirol (eastern Tirol) and has been living in Graz for quite a number of years: he consequently avoids the art scene and became well-known to the broad public through his portrait sequence, On his Homepage, Oskar Stocker's motto is, "Painting is keeping me alive". This, and his birth year 1956, are the only indication of life, achievement and function, that the artist yields to the public. Course of studies, professional opportunities, artistic education, exhibitions, list of achievements; all this remains in the dark, because it could possibly divert from the essential: the vital pleasure in painting and the unbiased encounter with the individual, which stand in the center of Stocker's extensive oeuvre. Naturally, with this on the one hand, is the encounter between the artist and the portrait poser during the sitting: on the other hand, also the encounter of the portrait and the viewer, which reflects the present and unique moment in which Stocker captures his portraits and portrait series.