Exhibition

'Landscape Reconfigured'

An exhibition of paintings by

MICHAEL WEITNAUER

In this exhibition of new works, Michael Weitnauer has decided to introduce some abstract pieces to sit alongside his representational landscape images. This is not a new approach for the artist, who has undertaken a similar approach previously for exhibitions in Melbourne and Hobart.

Weitnauer has painted in the representational and abstract format for over twenty years. Many of his abstract works arise from a process of extrapolating the representational form of the landscape image and expressing it purely as an experience of colour and gestural marks. One can, however, still see in these abstracts allusions to shadows, forms and reflections found in the ‘real’ landscape. Interestingly, the abstract paintings in this exhibition exhibit a closer referential connection to the landscape than many of his previous abstracts. He considers these works a natural progression in his exploration with the painted image.

In summary, there is a deliberate connection between the artist’s representational work and his abstract work - they sit on the same plain. At one end of the ‘landscape-abstract continuum’ we have the discernible/recognizable image, while at the other end we find a gestural reference that provides an inkling or some sense of the landscape experience. The juxtaposition of representational paintings with the abstract works serves to highlight and enhance the different ways we can experience and express the real world.