Marc Burckhardt


Marc Burckhardt is an American fine artist and illustrator. Burckhardt’s work juxtaposes historical genres and symbolism with contemporary themes. The artist uses a mix of both oil and acrylic paints in a modern variation of the Old Masters techniques of monochromatic underpainting and color glazing, often executing his work on wood panels. Burckhardt is additionally known for combining some paintings with pressed metal facades, historically known as rizas or oklads, forming elaborate patterns in the metal to create a jacket-like patterned covering

Early life and education

Burckhardt was born in Germany to German-born Jochem and U.S. born Chris Christenson Burckhardt. He grew up in Waco, Texas, where his parents worked as university professors at Baylor University. His mother was a painter and visiting art museums was common for the family. The artist credits this combination of the American South and German culture with planting deep roots both in folk art and the darker vision of Flemish painters.
The artist attended Baylor University, receiving undergraduate degrees in art history and printmaking. In 2009, Burckhardt was named one of Baylor's 150 Most Notable Alumni, for exceptional achievement in his field. Burckhardt went on to receive a BFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, graduating with honors in 1989.

Early Influences

The artist's early influences were the painters Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Diego Rivera, but also comic artists such as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton. Burckhardt was additionally influenced by the writings of art historian Leo Steinberg, and his landmark work The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion.

Work

Burckhardt is quoted as saying that both his fine arts work and his commercial work is less influenced by any one artist and more with periods and genres such as Medieval religious icons, early American and English sporting paintings as well as Dutch secular genre painting, which the artist observes "served to aggrandize the subject rather than the artist".

Fine arts and gallery work

The artist's work is in numerous private collections, including that of the estate of Johnny Cash, who commissioned Burckhardt to paint a portrait of his wife June Carter Cash for his home outside Nashville, Tennessee. Burckhardt's fine art works have been shown throughout the United States and internationally, at locations such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Art Institute of Boston, Art Basel in Miami, Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, SCOPE in New York, The Martin Museum of Art, The Lisle Station Museum, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Marder Gallery, Bash Contemporary. In 2010, Burckhardt was named Texas State Artist by the Texas Legislature and the Texas Commission on the Arts
Many of the artist's gallery works are what Burckhardt describes as "'possession-oriented portraiture' in which the animals, or ships, or people, aren't what they appear to be; they're placeholders for desires, fears, and ideals."

Commercial illustration

Burckhardt's illustration work has graced the covers of many books, album/CD covers and been featured in publications such as Rolling Stone, Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, WIRED, TIME and many others.
The artist is recognized for his portraiture work, which has been commissioned by Major League Baseball, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sony Records and others. His work has received many awards, including Gold & Silver medals from the New York Society of Illustrators, Cannes Lions, and the American Advertising Federation.

Awards and service

Awards

Service

The artist divides his time between Austin, Texas and Germany. He is a past instructor at School of Visual Arts in New York City and Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas and is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and arts organizations.