Biography
of the artist - Gerd Koidl
Born in Austria in 1942, Koidl is most closely aligned with the Fantastic
Realists, a Viennese school of artists, which rose to recognition during the
middle 1940s. Gerd Koidl’s mentor is the artist’s first tutor, Professor Diepold,
one of Austria’s leading sculptures.
Gerd Koidl’s first one-man
exhibition took place in Frankfurt in 1972;
critical acclaim has followed in subsequent shows around the world, including
Austria, Hong Kong, Japan, USA and Australia. Until recently, Koidl would only
show his work and bar one collector in Germany, would not sell his art.
Artist's style
Koidl has developed his own way of making reliefs, using materials such as
clay and plaster with aluminium foil, cast paper, gold leaf and other substances
built-up on a wood or canvas base, then modelled, engraved and painted. Gold,
yellow, red and bronze are common tones with splashes of cobalt blue and dash of
red on individual works such as Tree of Wisdom and Ocean of Wisdom. Most paintings are square in shape and measure over a metre
in diameter.
Many of Koidl's recent works feature repetitive Buddhas, an emblem of Eastern society,
which the artist describes as a symbol he uses to express faith, devotion, peace of
mind, and inner peace. The repetition feels as though the Buddhas images are
stretching out in concentric circles in all directions, including toward the
viewer. Koidl’s unconventional portraits, such as Buddha and Reincarnation hold the
viewer entranced. The image remains firmly locked in the viewers' minds long
after the painting is out of sight. Of his Buddha Fields, as Koidl refers to them, he states that he often uses
spiritual symbols in his art as background or focus point. He sees the
spiritual symbol, such as the Buddha, as a door or a window to open up as
entry points into another level of reality.
 In contrast, his Kimono series evokes a soothing feeling of modern day old
Japanese customs. Architectural in design, the Eightfold Path, features small
bronze-coloured Buddhas on a square map-like rendering on a round canvas.
His paintings are equally satisfying on their own as they are collectively.
Works of art with a purpose
Koidl explains that the purpose of his artworks is to present a message derived
from experiences and impressions made during his travels in Asia, Japan and
Australia. His paintings suggest a concern for the spoiling of the natural world and its
effect on the well-being of humans and other species.
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