MANHATTAN (1988-1989)

130cm x 130cm

This painting is in a private collection in Graz, Austria.
We want to show it here, because very few people have been privileged to see it until now.

When Krajnc was sketching and drawing and taking photographs
on all the different locations around Manhattan
that he wanted to incorporate into this work,
the Twin Towers were very much a part of the island,
a landmark, a monument to success, business, bright future - seemingly indestructible...

Today, in 2012, we cannot look at the painting without remembering "9/11",
as that fateful day will forever be known,
and marvel at the artist's vision and his painted premonition,
the juxtaposition of these doomed sets of towers,
and the reality of the two strong beams of light,
which have replaced the vanished buildings,
as they shine up into the sky every night -
just as Krajnc painted the World Trade Center back then.

In the middle of a bustling metropolis,
as if seen from the cockpit of a small plane,
rises a huge structure, inspired by Breughel's "Tower of Babel":

Manhattan, New York!

The Tower seems to revolve around the World Trade Center
which acts as axis,
overflowing with paper money in all currencies.

There are scenes from the stockmarket and there is Rockefeller Center;
there is Fifth Avenue with fancy shops from Godiva to Elizabeth Arden
and the corner of Saks;
there's the tkts outlet for last minute tickets for tonight's Broadway shows,
and there, in the shadows, is the ubiquitous hot dog vendor...

Holes are being dug into the belly of the city,
making room for yet another tall building...
daylight in the East and the Statue of Liberty at dusk,
some dark shapes of skyscrapers defined by their lit windows:
the painting suggests what we all know, that this city does not sleep,
that it is indeed very much like a modern Tower of Babel...

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DER WEG IST DAS ZIEL (THE PATH) (1994-1995)

155cm x 125cm

This title could be called "the artist's CREDO":

The concept of the path being in itself the goal of the journey, is an ancient one.
The stony path is a recurrent theme in Krajnc' work.
It divides and unites Old and New World, wilderness and civilisation, Arizona and Austria.
Largely autobiographical, the painting's message, however, is universal.
The goal changes often during one's lifetime, there are deviations and variations...
the one constant is the path we follow. Important and meaningful,
is it not the path itself guiding us, leading us?

"The Path" was first publicly shown in the summer of 2000,
at Krajnc' One Man Exhibition "L'Amore che muove le Stelle"
in the fortress gallery of Rocca Ubaldinesca di Sassocorvaro, Italy.

This Mini-Gallery-Space will showcase different oilpaintings periodically.
Commissions are accepted for site specific work!


Would you like to see more Oil Paintings?
Go visit the Studio in Tucson
and the Studio in the Austrian Castle.

Last modified: March 15, 2012

PORTFOLIO

Copyright© 1997-2012 by Anton Krajnc. In keeping with the spirit of the Internet, all images are for personal, non-commercial use only. Photography by Anton Krajnc and Dagmar.

All artwork and text information contained on these pages is original, and is protected by copyright and trademark laws.
For questions or information regarding the use or licensing of text, artwork or other contents, please contact the artist via email to: akstudio@flash.net.