Austrian by birth, Arnulf Rainer is an artist who creates from the negative. His first success came from his “Übermahlungen” (over-paintings) in which he literally painted a layer of color over an existing painting (often a self-portrait), leaving one small part of the original painting untouched. This same technique was repeated with drawings and etchings. These were followed by his “Selbstdarstellungen” (Self-exposures) where he aggressively violated photographs of himself and others: reminding one of street posters in which faces are demolished.”
Mental illness, particularly that of artists, seems to fascinate Rainer. A series based on Ban Gogh’s self-portraits is the best. In these works, Rainer’s adjustments increase our knowledge and the feeling of fear we have of mental illness. The work seems to be a dialogue between two artists about the same subject, although there are many years between them.
Except for the Van Gogh series, I don’t like the art of Rainer. The concept with which he works is too limited and the variations too repetitive. Some of his European critics make note of the fact that Rainer is an Austrian, as was Freud. I have the feeling that Rainer is much too preoccupied with this association. His work is interesting as an illustration of how people in our society can suffer, but as art, I have great doubts. In contrast to, for example, Gudmundsson, Rainer is totally self-absorbed. Rudi H. Fuchs writes in Rainer’s catalogue that his art is like “a window turned into a mirror.” It is not a mirror, it is a black wall.
—Micky Piller
