Upside Down, 2011

Harry Ergott  

Harry Ergott's art is rooted in his intensive study of art history and anatomy. The constant practice of dynamic painting techniques with live models and periods of abstract painting form the core of his current work. Linking Modernism, Abstract Expressionism and portraiture, Painter Harry Ergott enhances the female body.

Harry Ergott constructs the female body as an architecture with an energetic and masterful use of materials. Working from live models, the artist presents an aesthetic in which the softness of taut lines and the richness of material create compositions that are sometimes structured like geometric forms, both straight and angular.

Harry Ergott focuses simultaneously on self-control and impulse. In each work, he balances absolute control with raw emotion. His portraits reveal a deep connection with the subject, capturing the essence of a self-determined, smart and empowered woman.

Each of Harry Ergott's works is a profound exploration of human duality, celebrating the intricate beauty of life.

The Austrian painter Harry Ergott takes his inspiration from the proponents of modernism, particularly abstract expressionists, and from studying traditional genres such as portraiture. His paintings represent an accomplished symbiosis of his various artistic influences.

Since his studies as a graphic artist, Harry Ergott has drawn on art history and the most varied techniques to find his own way. His journey of self-expression began in music studios, we can say that Musicians shaped him as an artist. He harnesses the melodies of the human form and channels them onto his canvas.

At the Royal and Imperial School of Graphic Art in Vienna, he mastered the architectural representation of the human body from live models. His inspiration comes from the emergence of new styles of painting by the great masters of the 20th century and current ones, freeing the body from formalism and creating spontaneous pictorial works.

Artists such as Neo Rauch, Pablo Picasso and Helmut Newton influence his world. Harry Ergott particularly enjoys mystery, eroticism, interpersonal tension and surrealistic spaces. Among abstract painters, he is most inspired by Albert Oehlen.

Harry Ergott's works are regularly exhibited and are part of private collections in Austria, Germany and France.