Hundertwasser: The Painter King with the 5 Skins

by Pierre Restany

"The rigid, straight line is fundamentally alien to humanity, life and the whole of creation". Hundertwasser applies this philosophy not only to the famous Viennese buildings for which he is renowned, but all the media and art-forms he has experimented with during his wild and crazy career. Whether it be painting, sculpture, performance art or designing a kindergarten, Hundertwasser's works are multi-coloured, organic, and shot through with a sense of the magical or fantastic. However, there are principles operating behind these joyful bursts of gold and silver. Hundertwasser's art has always contained a political shade. He has consistently rebelled against rationalist or determinist ideas, promoted ecological awareness, and mantained a passionate belief in the anarchy of the imagination. In this awesome retrospective, Pierre Restany covers all the bases of Hundertwasser's eclectic development as an artist, from the tenant revolt and nude lecture of the early Seventies, through the housing projects in Vienna, right up to his recent designs for an alternative society. Restless with inspiration, the grand old man of nonconformist art keeps on breaking the rules.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Reference, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hundertwasser was a special fellow, whom we can appreciate for at least two reasons: firstly, the recognisability of the richness of color and the spiral shapes in his paintings, secondly, for his missionary work to green the world and his tenacity in that regard.
In the beginning the author impregnates us with the philosophies behind the utterings and the production of Friedrich Stowasser, who later calls himself Friedensreich Hundertwasser. A typical example goes as follows (first in the original German, than the translation in English):

Ausschnitt-Zitat über das Gemälde auf dem vorderen Umschlag:
“Die geheimnisvolle Ausstrahlung von dahindämmerndem Leben, die von ‘Garten der glücklichen Toten’ ausgeht, kommt zustande durch eine wiederholte spiralförmige Bewegung, die jeweils in sich selbst ruht; jedes kleine Feld enthält eine Spirale, ein Gesicht oder winzige Fensterchen; manche Felder bleiben frei, aber sie scheinen in ihrer lebhaften Farbigkeit zu vibrieren inmitten von Laubwerk und Furchen: du kannst an diesem Ort wohnen. … Das ist eine Malerei, die weder figurativ ist noch abstrakt, noch konstruktivistisch: es ist eine magische Malerei, lebendig wie ein Kopf (Erde und Gesicht haben bei Hundertwasser eine vergleichbare Physiognomie), stark wie ein Gregorianischer Gesang. … Die Spirale veranschaulicht blidhaft den Zyklus von Tod und weiger Wiedergeburt, das Atmen des Menschen und das Wachstum der Pflanzen.”

Translation in English:
Excerpt quote about the painting on the front cover:
“The mysterious radiance of twilight life that emanates from 'Garden of the Happy Dead' comes about through a repeated spiral movement, each resting within itself; each small field contains a spiral, a face or tiny windows; Some fields remain open, but they seem to vibrate with their lively colors amidst foliage and furrows: you can live in this place. ... This is a painting that is neither figurative, abstract, nor constructivistic: it is a magical painting, alive as a head (in Hundertwasser, the earth and face have a comparable physiognomy), strong as a Gregorian chant. … The spiral visually illustrates the cycle of death and rebirth, the breathing of humans and the growth of plants.”

Well, I don’t like this quasi-literary-philosophical approach and style to define works of visual arts. This book is full of it. The author has deeply empathized with the artist's 'green power' philosophy, and his text often seems to transition into mottoes of his subject. From halfway the book, however, it gets more concrete and factual, where the author changes focus and shapes the biography of Hundertwasser.
At the end of the book, the author gives the floor to E. Warlamis. As an appendix, he explains the characteristics of the Hundertwasserhaus, an apartment complex in the center of Vienna, with which Hundertwasser has remained known worldwide, and rightfully so. JM

[soaronski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Малко разхвърляна като фактология ми се стори, заради нехронологичното изложение може би.
Иначе супер интересни снимки и факти.

[Ajeje Brazov · Rating 4 out of 5]

LIBELLACQUERELLULA
Ero seduto in quella casa di vetro
col pennello pronto e sognavo
- come dev'essere sempre al principio
della pittura.
Cadde una libellula.
Una libellula fiorentina.
Era molto fine
con ali
di struttura meravigliosa.
La misi
sulla carta bianca.
Era morta
ma piena di colori straordinari.
Cominciai a dipingere.
Volevo fare una cosa così strana
e meravigliosa come la libellula.
Man mano che i miei colori
si moltiplicavano,
disparvero quelli della libellula.
Anzi rubavo i suoi colori
con i quali dipingevo.
I colori più belli io presi dapprima.
Il quarto giorno
la pittura era finita e bella,
grigia e sminuzzata la libellula.
La libellula si è putrefatta a Firenze.
La pittura, la portai a Vienna.
Poi al Naviglio di Milano.
HUNDERTWASSER

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

you can't find these images on google - photos of his handmade shoes, humus torlet, etc.

[Joel Ackerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

My theory continues to hold true. Modern critics are more wanna-be artists than anything else. This book is more poetry than criticism/analysis. It is incoherent, its structure indiscernible. But as a poet, he is not bad, and is not tiresome. At least this author referenced primarily art that is included in the book, which is more than can be said for others.

So why 3-stars? Because Hundertwasser is interesting, if only because he is a kook. I think there is truth in his ideas mingled with even more error. If we judge Hundertwasser by his fruits then I think he must be considered a false prophet. But even false prophets have some truth and something to contribute, otherwise they would have no appeal, and Hundertwasser, for his passion and commitment, definitely has appeal.

[Jana Radović · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tale è il potere dell'arte e Hundertwasser ci mostra un modo suggestivo di utilizzarlo: prima per vivere, poi per sopravvivere, quindi per vivere sempre meglio. Il pittore-re dalle cinque pelli vede il mondo come uno splendido dipinto. Combatte l'impietosa, sfrenata tecnologia con il più semplice e più sicuro dei rimedi: l'infinita felicità della bellezza. Sta a noi a scoprirla, egli ci ha dato la chiave. Ogni cosa viene dall'arte e ritorna all'arte." pierre restany, Parigi, 3 agosto - 6 settembre 1997

[Eduardo Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Masterful study of Hundertwasser with maybe too much of that flashy albeit unnecessary overuse of adjectives, which is so common in art books or descriptions of art pieces in museums.

I loved the 5 skins metaphor and Hundertwasser's political and ecological stances stay both away and in the middle of politics, which i found very clever, as he knew not to accept any extremes.

His nettle soup anecdote is however the funniest and for sure the image that will remain stuck in my head forever.

[Corinna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite interesting, but the original text is from 1997-98, so many facts about his buildings have changed and the text in itself is heavily influenced by Hundertwasser himself. However, it makes for a really intriguing read.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little out of my depth with this one. If I was doing an art degree then I think I’d get more from this.

[Кремена Михайлова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не им е лесно на свободните.
И на надарените... Толкова ли са малко, че винаги да са "различни"...