(Neuhausen, Württemberg 1902–1974 Villach)
‘Blumen vor Berg’, monogrammed, dated A. M. 68, oil on masonite, 59 x 74 cm, framed, (K)

Illustrated and listed in:
Gerbert Frodl/ Elisabeth Brandstötter, publisher Galerie Welz, Salzburg 2004, page 375/WVAM 1208 - on masonite, not on canvas as claimed here

Provenance:
Private Ownership, Germany

With works similar to this one, Mahringer came very close to non-objectivity. Many of these late images demonstrate that he had for some time already allowed forms of abstraction into his work, even if until the end specific motifs remain recognisable. For Mahringer, the motif of the object always played a central role in his work. He often mentioned which motif he next wished to paint, saying he absolutely had to paint it, and so on. Grappling with something artistically was undoubtedly less the result of abstract, purely intellectual work of the mind than it was a sensual interrogation of, and before, a specific motif. For Mahringer, eschewing motifs from the real world would have meant bringing his artistic work to a standstill, rather than opening it up to a new stimulus. Throughout his entire oeuvre, perhaps even more evidently in his late work, Mahringer subjected himself to a regime of self-mastery and control with the intention of producing multi-faceted pieces of work using minimal means. By acknowledging this radical reduction of artistic means, whilst at the same time giving precedence to a deep visual complexity in his work, Mahringer was able to shift seamlessly from post-war modernism to the contemporary art of our time.
Excerpt from the above mentioned literature