Abstract art that's upbeat

Michaell Magrutsche aims to inspire with his abstract work at Newport Beach Central Library.

By Kathleen Stinson, Daily Pilot

Michaell Magrutsche knows he can't compete with nature.

The abstract painter eschews representational art because even the best painting of a horse can never compete with a real horse. He likes abstract art because it involves the viewer and is proactive.

"It's a lost cause to paint nature," Magrutsche said.

"Michaell's Upbeat Abstracts," a group of acrylic paintings on display at Newport Beach Central Library shows a developed sense of art by a second-generation abstract painter.

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Magrutsche, who was born in Vienna, Austria, grew up exposed to the art of his uncle, Adolf Frohner, a famous Austrian abstract painter.

Despite the strong influence, Magrutsche said he found his own way.

He believes art should inspire and uplift.

"These days when I enter a room, I want to feel a painting -- I want its color and design to grab me," Magrutsche said. "I am not an elitist artist --either you like it or you don't."

He likes to paint what he calls "liminal" abstracts, which means the viewer interprets the space between the lines and brings something of themselves to the painting.

"I would like my paintings to stimulate the viewer in a way that his or her imagination is triggered to fill in the blanks, thereby creating an interaction with the artwork and playing with the unfilled spaces in a myriad of possibilities," he said.

He also believes a painting should stand on its own, not the backdrop for a new sofa.

He said he's seen a painting by Picasso in a baroque-style apartment and in the most modern of apartment decor. Either place the Picasso is well placed.

The artist uses bold colors and simple forms.

"The color in a painting should grab you," he said. "I am inspired when something grabs my attention. I find vibrant color and special color combinations most rewarding."

The show runs through March 31.