On the occasion of Günther Schützenhöfer’s 50th birthday – he was born in Mödling, Lower Austria, in 1965 – we present an overview of his work from the past 15 years.

Günther Schützenhöfer produced his first drawings at the House of Artists, where he has lived since 1999. He started with postcard-sized formats in delicate pencil lines, tentatively approaching his chosen themes. In his first years, he worked very deliberately. Over time, his shapes became larger, and his stroke grew from rather tenuous to exceedingly strong.

Günther Schützenhöfer works on paper and cardboard in pencil and coloured pencils. He contours his theme with a very few lines, and then animates it with determined strokes. Oftentimes, he fills large areas with pencil in such a way as to give them a fascinating life of their own. He varies his pencils’ softness and pressure, and thus creates idiosyncratic shading effects, making his work vivid and exciting. He accentuates skilfully and sparingly with coloured pencils.

Schützenhöfer chooses his themes spontaneously, often related to the seasons or situations. His approach is specific and focused on the gist, the essence of his themes, reducing them to the most important elements; finally, an abstract drawing emerges, entirely unique in appearance.

Günther Schützenhöfer’s works have been exhibited worldwide since 2001, and feature in numerous private and public collections.