(Innsbruck 1932–2011 Vienna)
“Puglia Marina-Murge-10–1979”, signed and dated Prachensky 79, signed, dated and titled Markus Prachensky -
1979 “Puglia Marina-Murge-10–1979” on the reverse, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 150 cm, on stretcher

Provenance:
Hauswedell & Nolte, auction 342, 11 June 199, lot 1167
Private Collection, Lower Austria

Ist ungegenständlich abstrakt?

Es gibt keinen Maler, der nicht – im vollen Bewußtsein oder unwillentlich – sein imaginäres Museum mit sich herumschleppt.
Markus Prachensky 1976

Is non-representational abstract?

There is no painter who does not - consciously or unintentionally - carry his imaginary museum around with him.
Markus Prachensky 1976

...This is especially true for Prachensky himself: in a sense, every successful picture changes the landscape from which it originated. That is why, during that whole journey, he could not help but constantly associate the images that came out of his years of preoccupation with Puglia back to the landscape. This resulted in the series Puglia marina Murge.
These are immensely powerful, moving pictures with strong layering in the upper part of the image, in which the upright bars sometimes almost lead to a cross shape; but it is this conclusion of the Puglia series that is least referable to transposed landscape perspectives; it is instead a sort of farewell summary. Markus once mentioned - with the usual admonition to be cautious with such metaphors - that our journey together had sometimes played out like a film in his mind's eye during the work.
This comparison gave me the idea of describing an aspect of movement in his paintings - the splashing, the flowing of the colours beyond the edge of the picture, in short: the traces of the rapid painting movements - as a visible passage of time and thus as a dimension for which there are hardly any other means of expression in painting. His pensive hum was not at all encouraging; nor was his only comment: "Well...well...if you want!".
"Lastly, one sees as one paints. The paintings are stronger, they almost swallow the landscape." ...

Wolfgang Fleischer – from: Markus Prachensky, Löcker Verlag, 1990