The Silvias

We went to the Franz Gertsch museum in Burgdorf today. His works came up recently because he died last week.

His portraiture is simply awe inspiring. The hyperrealism is at the level of Albert Anker, but the size is three meters on a side. The lesson here is “go big or go home.”

I bought the book “Silvia - Chronicle of a Painting” from the museum shop. I don’t really need more art books, but was intrigued by the techniques he uses. He cheats like I do, with a projected photograph as a starting point. Beyond that, he’s - at not the next level but - dozens of levels beyond me.

Given a choice between Paul Klee and Franz Gertsch, I would choose Gertsch every time. Klee wandered off into expressionism, bauhaus, and surrealism land and never came back. I hope to be more in the realist camp, like Franz Gertsch and Ken Danby.

All I need to do now, is source #10 duck canvas in three meter wide rolls and inexpensive lapis lazuli ultramarine blue pigment.

Data	Description
Title	Three “Silvia Paintings”
Artist	Franz Gertsch
Medium	Egg tempra on uncoated canvas
Dimensions (w × h cm)	3 @ 280cm x 290cm
Date	1998 - 2004