Houser Milan

Milan Houser is an experimental painter and alumnus of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Studio of Monumental Art, where he completed his studies under the teachings of Czech sculptor, Aleš Veselý. The preponderance of these works revolves around his experimental use of varnish, pigments and gravity as a medium. Varnish - a solid, glossy surface created by an amalgamation of resin, solvents, and oils - has become such a crucial medium of Houser’s unmistakable artwork that the Czech artist has formulated his own varnish using a unique compound with properties resembling sculptural material and paint. Utilizing a layered technique, Houser pours varnish onto canvas, ensuring the preceding layer reaches a certain solidity before applying the next layer on the surface. He invites the molten varnish to expand across the canvas, languidly trickling down the peripheral of the circular canvas. The interplay between the internal chemical reactions and the external draw of gravity introduce a welcomed variable of unpredictability and spontaneity within the conception of a single composition. By scrutinizing a sliver of his paintings, viewers can dissect the intricacies of Houser’s methodology, becoming mesmerized by the undulations, cavities, and vesicles burgeoning from its core.