Gottfrid Helnwein is an Austrian-Irish photographer born in Vienna in 1948. He was awarded the Master-Class Prize from the University of Visual Art in Vienna for his art. One of the first subjects Helnwein focused on was hyper-realistic watercolor paintings, where he used an airbrush and small brushes to work small details.When searching his photographs, it was difficult for me to tell whether it was a photograph or a painting. This technique is achieved from his past as a painter. At first glance, one sees these images as fashion photography, though Helnwein's work is a mocking of the social manipulations that come from the fashion world. Most of his images are digitally manipulated.
Helnwein uses the "mystical significance of the ideal child" as a theme beneath his paintings, which is then translated over to his photographical work. One other theme that he focuses on is psychological and sociological anxiety of children, as well as political topics, and historical issues. Helnwein is one of the most controversial artists that have come out of the post World War period, because of his depiction of children. He presents his work in gallery spaces where the images are blown up, as well as in public installations.
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