FRANK KORTAN | A WORLD OF SURREALISTIC & FANTASTIC REALISM
“Anyone who decides to become an artist, regardless of style, I can advise following these four tips: Find the best teacher, be persistent, stay humble, and believe in luck! “ – Frank Kortan
Frank Kortan grew up in Prague (Czech Republic) and has been living and working in Germany for the past forty years. His artistic style can be described as Surrealism, Fantastic Realism, and Trompe-l’oeil. Among his international art awards, he is a winner of the World Prize of Salvador Dalí
for Fine Arts.
to Northern India. 2009. Oil on Wood.
80 x 60 cm.
Frank Kortan started his professional artistic career in Prague, Czechoslovakia as a musician. In 1984 he emigrated very adventurously to Switzerland; and moved again to Germany after one year. Because of Kortan’s attraction to art from a young age, as he arrived in Germany, he decided to become a professional painter and establish his international presence mainly in oil painting with no fear of supreme discipline, which has always fascinated him. Still, he first wanted to study the perfect technique to implement his ideas and themes without technical limitations. From then on, Kortan started studying painting techniques very intensively.
He met an artist group that worked in the “Trompe-l’oeil” style (“deceive the eye “), which means a representation of an object with such verisimilitude as to deceive the viewer concerning the material reality of the object.
Kortan paints exclusively on wood because a wooden surface can be primed perfectly and is most optimal for his purpose.
He is using the priming method according to the guidelines of the old masters, as this has been proven effective for hundreds of years. The result is a highly smooth surface without any imperfections, as delicate as a mirror. Furthermore, it allows him to paint the finest details in several layers on top of each other, creating an optical 3D illusion used in the Trompe-l’oeil style. However, most painters, whether in the Middle Ages or the present, have used this technique only for classical still lives. That was not enough for him; therefore, he developed his style further and combined Trompe-l’oeil with Surrealism and Fantastic Realism.
Oil on Wood. 80 x 60 cm
Although combining different styles is unusual, it fascinated him as it offered countless expression possibilities. On one side, it is Surrealism as an expression of freedom of mind and imagination. On the other hand, the meticulously accurate interpretation of painted objects must convince and captivate the viewer. Because the quality of a painting is essential for him, it is not uncommon for him to work on a single painting for almost a full year. Therefore, in reality, the charisma of such
a painting is very unique. Kortan says about his recognition value,
– Frank Kortan
“For me is important that my style is clearly recognizable after finalizing; everybody must say this is a “Kortan.”
Frank Kortan’s paintings have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the globe. In addition, his works of art are in museums and private collections worldwide.
Oil on Wood. 70 x 90 cm.
