Anton Karstel Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1968 -

Anton Karstel is a committed and prolific painter. Deeply concerned with the notion of art and its relation to social reality, he paints from photographic and historical source material – often using challenging imagery – as a means of addressing and confronting a specific subject.

Karstel has adopted a painting technique which masters the intrigue of visual suggestion. His style echoes methods from the history of painting which lends an intense atmosphere to his subject matter. His paintings simultaneously seduce the viewer whilst disturbing the sensation of aesthetic pleasure, both through the ambiguity of the subjects represented and the viewer’s awareness of the source and historical weight of the images. Their beauty, technical prowess and suggestiveness are all tools employed by Karstel to deliver a visual and intellectual punch. Whether nostalgic and romantic or cutting and critical, Karstel’s re-visioning in oil paint of photographic material gives them a contemporaneity and freshness.

Although primarily known for his painting, Karstel also produces conceptual mixed media and photographic installations.