Born in Roding (Bavaria) in 1981, the artist studied Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg from 2003-2009. In 2006 he was awarded the Welde Art Prize, and in the subsequent year he was commended with a 3rd place in the JAB Art Prize as well as a scholarship from the foundation Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. In 2008 he was accepted to the grant calendar of the bank LfA Förderbank Bayern. In 2009 he completed his studies as a master class student of Ralph Fleck.
In the same year he was awarded the prize Nordseekunstpreis Spiekeroog. Just recently he was awarded the Art Prize of the newspaper Nürnberger Nachrichten as well as the Wolfram-von-Eschenbach grant.
Jochen Pankrath’s painting is direct and immediate. When his work is viewed, it is quite evident that the artist seeks to directly implement what he has seen in the form of painting. He finds many of his motifs in Nature; tree-lined avenues and landscapes that he captures on canvas using generous brushstrokes. One series shows the changes in a road in the course of the seasons, for example, and clearly demonstrates that it is possible to record moments, but that everything inevitably changes, especially in Nature.
Another focus area in the oeuvre of the painter consists of portraits and nudes. He finds his models, who are mainly female, within his personal social circle. In some cases their poses seem spontaneous, but to some extent they conform with the tradition of stage setting prevalent throughout art history. His less abstract, often large-scale portraits frequently contain reminiscences recalling artists of historical importance, such as Picasso, Kirchner, Whistler or van Gogh.
In addition to solo presentations at the art societies Kunstverein Kirchzarten and Kunstverein Mannheim, Pankrath’s still youthful career has also included participation in an astonishing number of exhibitions, among others at Kunsthalle Recklinghausen (2005 Kunstpreis junger Westen, i.e. Art Prize Young West), at Kunsthaus Nürnberg (2007 Art Prize of Nürnberger Nachrichten), at Kunstverein Erlangen (2008), as well as in the year 2012 at the art societies Kunstverein Kirchzarten, Grafschaft Bentheim and Rastatt as well as the fine arts society Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst Trier. Furthermore, he has also taken part in numerous gallery exhibitions, group exhibitions and presentations of the Fleck master class.