1.1.1958 born in Amstetten/NÖ.
1975–1979 Grafische Bundeslehr- und Versuchsanstalt, Vienna, Department of Graphic Design
1979-1984 Study of paining at the Academy of Fine Art, Vienna, Master Class Prof. Wolfgang Hollegha
….Swoboda’s art thrives on the dialectic between landscape on the one hand and the autonomy of a condensed, almost monochrome painting on the other. His artistic energy is best revealed in the pictures with the most tension. They allude to the land-, water- and mountainscapes that are their starting point but proceed to become ultimately about the process of painting itself.
Even the most radical, almost monochrome paintings can be traced back to their origin in landscape. The viewer will make associations with fog rising over a lake, cascading water or snow and rain, even in images painted white on white. Geographical reference is kept on an anecdotal level and is not intended to refer to actual places. The mise-en-scène of the colors and the brushstrokes are equally important to defining the image. Furthermore, the support (wood, canvas, etc.) determines the aesthetic result as much as the painting method; together they create the image as autonomous reality.
( Peter Weiermair)