Tatjana Gerhard

Born 1974 in Zurich, Switzerland



The paintings of Tatjana Gerhard provide a glimpse into an unfamiliar territory. She creates worlds inhabited by surreal figures reminding the viewer of gnomes, trolls and ghosts. Her simply constructed images usually consist of nothing more than a figure and a natural object such as a tree trunk or a giant rock. These simple backdrops enhance the mysteriousness of her often disturbing figures. Do they come from another planet, do they belong to an undiscovered species or are these the human survivors of a post-apocalyptic age? Gerhard paints without any preconceived images. Her pictures express her imagination and mood. In order to retain the concept that she has in her mind, she paints very quickly, trying to capture the essential elements and then overpainting the image several times until its final shape evolves. Gerhardīs style invokes the aesthetics of outsider art as well as old Spanish master paintings.  

 

 



Tatjana Gerhard, Untitled, Oil on canvas, 170 x 140 cm, 2008.