Selbstporträt
| Edition | Original Art |
|---|---|
| Sujet | Portrait |
| Technique | Printmaking |
| Height | 56.6 cm |
| Width | 40 cm |
| Length/Depth | 4 cm |
Self-Portrait
In his work *Self-Portrait*, Konstantin Lischkoff-Knecht takes his exploration of presence and dissolution to a moment that is both personal and universal. The artist once again employs the technique of photographic transfer onto wood, combined with the flowing movement of paint that runs down the picture in vertical streaks. The surface thus becomes a site of constant transition – between the visible and the concealed, between the figure and the flow of paint, between the body and abstraction.
From the depths of the yellow-grey layers, the silhouette of a shadow emerges: the artist himself. Yet the image that appears here remains unstable – overlaid by paint, distorted by gravity, caught equally by transparency and density. The self becomes tangible in its material trace, only to blur away again in the very next moment.
The paint, fluid and untamed, takes on the role of a trace of time. It records the passing of the moment whilst simultaneously erasing it. Yellow – as a symbol of light, consciousness and energy – stands at the centre of the picture and seems both to penetrate and to engulf the body. The surrounding shades of grey and black form a kind of counterpoint: the weight of matter, which grounds the luminosity of the light whilst at the same time putting it into perspective.
Here, the self-portrait is not an attempt to capture identity, but to make it visible in the process. The body becomes a membrane; colour, a metaphor for the interpenetration of the inner and the outer. In this dialectic, a work emerges that shows not so much the ‘I’ as the becoming, the flowing, the slipping away of the self in the stream of one’s own perception.
Lischkoff-Knecht transforms the classical genre of the self-portrait into an exploration of presence and dissolution. The painterly gesture becomes an existential act; the image a place of self-encounter – fragile, open, fleeting.
Konstantin Lischkoff-Knecht
Mr Knecht studied Fine Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 2012 to 2020, under Günther Förg and Jorinde Voigt.
Knecht also took part in Anne Imhof’s project class and engaged in lively exchanges with various lecturers and students at the Academy.
Artist Statement
My artistic journey is deeply rooted in Abstract Expressionism, a style characterised by spontaneous, emotional and unbridled forms of expression. The works of pioneers such as Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning, as well as artists like Cy Twombly and Georg Baselitz, have significantly shaped my understanding and appreciation of the raw, immediate power of colour and form.
In my paintings, I strive to explore the boundaries of visual language and to convey the emotions and thoughts that move me onto the canvas. Abstract Expressionism offers me the freedom to express myself beyond traditional forms and conventions. This style allows me to experiment with colours, textures and compositions to create a deep and often intuitive resonance.
For me, every canvas is a slaughtering block upon which I come to terms with inner conflicts, feelings and thoughts. The movement of the brush, the flow of paint and the bold gestures reflect the intensity and spontaneity that lie at the heart of my work. The factor of time plays a very intimate role in the creative process: For me, the flow of paint and the resulting emergence of the image represent the passing of the states of my inner life as they are immediately experienced. This process is ultimately concealed from the viewer – the viewer is presented only with the outcome of my process. Through this unfiltered form of artistic expression, I strive to draw viewers into a world of emotion that is as subjective and multi-layered as human experience itself.
Abstract Expressionism has provided me not only with a stylistic framework, but also with a philosophical foundation. It reminds me that art should not merely be viewed, but experienced – it should create a direct and often personal connection between the work and the viewer.
Exhibitions (selection):
2015 Polish Institute Platan / Latarka Gallery (Budapest)
2015 Salon Kennedy (Frankfurt)
2015 Kunstverein Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden)
2016 Catholic Academy Munich (Munich)
2017 Lothringer 13 (Munich)
2017 Art Homes (Munich)
2018 Kunstarkaden (Munich)
2018 Haus 10 (Fürstenfeldbruck)
2023 Kunstarkaden (Munich)
2024 Kunstpavillon (Munich)
