Egmont Hartwig

Realism is not merely a depiction of reality/ the world around us, it’s a search for the ‘real’. The surface of things is superficial, realism is an exploration of the subtext to search for an approximation of the ‘real’. Approximation, while we could never completely comprehend the elusive essence of things. The objects we see/ I paint are like a connotation, free to interpret and allegorize. With these objects/ ideas I construe my narrative. The motives I use are not the usual suspects of the still life Metier, they do have to have a certain depth that resonates with my recurring and ever more focused concepts. Concepts like: the passage of time, the temporary, obscurement, just to name a few.
The surface of the painting is paramount, I tend to switch between a more precise and a more painterly style as of late, detail remains a key aspect in both instances. My work tends to be quite deliberate, nuanced and calm, I use a limited palette and find as many nuances as possible there in. Balance in the amount of contrast is an important departing point, contrast not just in brightness but in tonality, shape, color et cetera. Despite appearances I do not strive for perfection, photorealism or hyperrealism. It’s more an investigation in...

HKA - Art college - Arnhem NL
AKI - Art college - Enschede NL
HKU - Art college - Utrecht NL
CCAC - Art college - San Francisco/ Oakland USA

OffenArt - Galerie Krafthaus - Dornbirn (AT) - 2024
Zeitweiligkeit - KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirch (AT) - 2024 - Solo
Offenraum Dornbirn - Dornbirn (AT) - 2024 - Group
20 Jahre - KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirchi (AT) - 2023 - Group
Alle - Künstlerhaus Bregenz - Bregenz (AT) - 2022 - Group
Lost Space II - Dornbirn (AT) - 2022 - Group
Offenraum Dornbirn - Dornbirn (AT) - 2022 - Group
Matterless Frontiers - Desiderio Gallery - Wien (AT) - 2021 - Solo
Kunstlager II - KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirch (AT) - 2021 - Group
Kleine Formaten II - KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirch (AT) - 2021 - Group
ZollArt - KunstVorarlberg - Koblach (AT) - 2020 - Group
Kunstlager - KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirch (AT) - 2020 - Group
Kleine Formaten - KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirch (AT) - 2019 - Group
Offenraum Dornbirn - Dornbirn (AT) - 2019 - Group
NeunMalNeu - KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirch (AT) - 2019 - Group
Real - ORF Kunst im Funkhaus - Dornbirn (AT) - 2018 - Group
12 aus 83 - Stadtmuseum Dornbirn - Dornbirn (AT) - 2018 - Group
Mitgliederaustellung BV KKV - Bregenz (AT) - 2018 - Group
Fette Jahre KunstVorarlberg - Feldkirch (AT) - 2017 - Group
GrenzWertig Art D'Osera - Diepoldsau (CH) - 2017 - Group
Offenraum Dornbirn - Dornbirn (AT) - 2017 - Group
Bazart 015 'Formlos' - Dornbi...