Big Illusions: tromp de l‘oeuil
Charles Anthony Greengrow
“Tony” Greengrow is an old school sign painter. Whenever
façades, scenery, boards or signs need to be painted or restored the native Brit is the right man for the job. Everyone has probably seen one of his works: be it at Vienna’s Prater where he painted and restored a number of sceneries, on the Naschmarkt where the many painted boards create the special flair it is known for, in the Wienerwald restaurant on the street Landstraßer Hauptstraße, on the façade of the Steirereck restaurant, or in the backstage area of the discotheque Zugabe.
In his studio in the WUK he concentrates particularly on the techniques of marbleising over wood glazes, gilding and stencilling. He also passes on these skills to his pupils and has plans to open a school for “Decorative Painting”. The first courses will take place in the WUK Project Space.
The all round artist is also preoccupied with abstract painting and works with airbrush on computer processed photographs.
Selected works:
- different sceneries in the Prater (renowned fairgrounds in Vienna), e.g. the restoration of the “Imperator”
- film scenery for Axel Corti, Peter Patzak, Franz Lehner and Jean-Jacques Annaud
- transfer of a 200-year-old etching in the Wienerwald restaurant, Landstraßer Hauptstraße, Vienna
- decorative painting of various “Fiaker” horse drawn carriages