Madeline von Foerster was born to German-Austrian parents and raised in San Francisco. She uses historic iconography, as well as the meticulous painting techniques of the Old Masters, to tackle modern-day subjects, such as environmentalism.

Foerster is worried about where modern culture is headed, but she believes there is still time to make a new myth. And if something is worth saying, it is worth the time it takes to paint. The detail and luminosity of her paintings are intended for slow deliberation. To create her unusual paintings, Madeline von Foerster uses a five century-old mixed technique of oil and egg tempera, developed by the Flemish Renaissance.Her work has been exhibited in Germany and the United States. Incredible intensity and vividness of color are characteristic features of works by the old Dutch Masters such as Jan van Eyck or Hans Memling, who are among American artist Madeline von Foerster’s main sources of inspiration. Paintings of this time period achieved a great sense of touch through carefully applied light effects, which especially shows in the realistic, tactile display of folds of cloths and drapes. The basis of these astonishing works was the discovery of a new technique: oil painting. Von Foerster studied the so-called Misch technique in Austria under Philip Rubinov-Jacobson. This technique uses an elaborate method of layers to form the basis of the painting, and employs with oil as well as egg tempera. As one of very few artists today, Madeline von Foerster employs this complicated technique in her breathtaking work.

Madeline von Foerster "I make art about this world. I know that might sound strange, because I paint in a method and style characteristic of five centuries ago. It also might sound strange, because my work is typically classified as surrealist.  However, my art is strongly rooted in my own experiences, and the world occurring around me, though I often choose to express these things symbolically.“

Amazon Cabinet

At the Foot of the Garden(angel)

Chemical wedding

The promise

The crown

Essentia exaltata

Frogs unframed

Portrait of R. Franklin (Ritchie)

Lusus Serius

Untitled (whale drawing)

Rhinoceros Reliquary

Unicornis

The Dodo Egg

The red Thread

The golden toad.

Mother and Child (Portrait of an Endangered Drill)

Reliquary for Saartjie Bartman The Hottentots' Venus

While You Were Sleeping

Valentine

Untroubled Sleep(queen)

my darlingtonia

Still life, Reichenau, Austria

Mother of the Tree

O Rubor Sanguinis

Nogasm

Rite of remembrance

Invasive Species I

Invasive Species II

La Femme Grave Se Grave

La Femme Grave Se Grave 2

Merbau cuckoo

Royal Pas time (Dove)

Ex Mare

Felled Forest Reliquary

Redwood cabinet

specimen cabinet

Tree Reliquary

Selfportraittrepann

Sound: Farid Farjad - Mara Beboos

Text and pictures: Internet

Arangement: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda