Big Show of Color

After 20 years traveling around Latin America and the whole world, Jacob Karpio Gallery's Big Show has a lot of colors from different Artists. The big mural in front is fullfiled with colors and was painted by the Austrian artist Martin C. Herbst. Here is his own explanation on how "Judit" relates with "Color"...

JUDITH:

“Judith” is the fulfilment of a childhood dream.

A painter is not born in aesthetical no man’s land. He is born - and in any case this is true for my person – through the admiration of the works of other painters. Mainly masters of renaissance and baroque, the golden ages of painting. I admired always the way, how they gave “reality” an artistic turn and was deeply impressed by their professional skills.

I grew up in Salzburg, a beautiful town in Austria with a powerful Catholic tradition. Salzburg was governed by mighty and rich archbishops in the past, not only religious leaders but also influential monarchs. So you can find an amazing number of huge und richly decorated churches in this small town. Though being not religious in terms of the Roman Catholic Church, the gigantic altarpieces made the outmost impact on me in my childhood . I was impressed of what I call “show-painting”, overwhelming with inner dramatic movement, rich colouring and huge size.

At the age of 16 I had the dream to paint such a piece once in my life. So the 280 square foot painting “Judith” is simply the fulfilment of this dream 27 years later.

It is more or less a gigantic copy in my own personal painterly style of the relatively small religious painting “Judith and Holofernes” of Italian painter Cristoforo Allori (1577 – 1621). The story of Judith and Holofernes is told in the bible. The beautiful Jewish widow Judith seduces and beheads the Babylonian military leader Holofernes and saves her people in times of war. But in my painting I changed one important detail. Judith is not carrying the head of Holofernes any more, but her own head. The modification separates my painting from the original theoretical background (the female physical attractiveness, which threats the sex driven male). It disconnects it from its original purpose in connection with Jewish/Catholic propaganda. And gives – what is more important for me – the painting a different, more personal and individual meaning. To put it into simple words: Judith defeats herself by defeating her enemy. And gives – what is more important for me – the painting a different, more personal and individual meaning. To put it into simple words: Judith defeats herself by defeating her enemy.

But above all - it was the outmost fun for me to make such a huge work. To feel and paint for 2 months in my life like an old ‘”master-painter”.To celebrate the beauty of skilled painting and overwhelm the viewer with a feast for the eyes .

What gives a painter more joy?

Martin C. Herbst, Sept. 20th 2008

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Latin America / Costa Rica

Lat: 9° 56' 3.07" N
Long: 85° 5' 21.21" W

Elevation: 1162 m. ASL

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Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

Nodal Ninja 3, NIkon D300, PTGui 8.02, Photoshop CS3, Cubic Converter, Nikon Capture 4.