Ferdinand Penker studied medicine and art history in Graz. From 1977 to 1987 he taught as a professor at the University of California, Davis.[1] With his work he has repeatedly asked questions on contemporary art, in particular on structure and order, shape and space, as well as line and color. His working method was characterized by working blocks within which he created individual and progressive series that differed only slightly.[2] In the 90s, he expanded this way of working, with the tendency to a minimalist, monochromatic and radically decelerated painting, in the space. His work is generally assigned to the influence of constructive and concrete ideas, as well as American painting of color fields and of minimal art. Both the canvases and the works on paper by Ferdinand Penker address the painting itself, the process of creation and the different possibilities of perception.
Christine Wetzlinger-Grundnig (ed. ): Ferdinand Penker. The monograph was published on the occasion of the exhibition at the Museum Moderner Kunst Kärnten, 2010, ISBN978-3-85415-464-8
