Art Appreciation
Considered "the first psychoanalytical painter" and "psychic realist," Austrian artist Rudolf Hausner was born on December 4, 1914.
At the age of 17, Hausner studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna from 1931 until 1936. He was then drafted into the Austrian Armed Forces. After the German annexation of Austria (Anschluss), his painting was banned from being exhibited by the Reich Chamber of Culture and considered degenerate art.
In 1941, Hausner was drafted into the German Armed Forces, but dismissed a few years later by the Wehrmacht (the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany). He was employed as a technical draftsman in the armaments industry.
Following World War II, Hausner returned to Vienna and resumed work as an artist. Along with Edgar Jené, Ernst Fuchs, Helmut Leherb, Wolfgang Hutter, and Fritz Janschka, he founded a surrealist group in 1946. Around this time, he produced metaphysical art (pittura metafiscia) and psychoanalytical art. A characteristic of his painting technique was the use of translucent resin oil paintings over underpainting of acrylic paints.
Hausner exhibited for the first time in a group exhibition at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna, which opened the door to international exhibitions. He gave lectures and accepted guest lecture positions in Hamburg and Tokyo. In 1959, he co-founded the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism.
From 1966 until 1980, he was a guest professor at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg, and taught at he Academy of Fine Arts Vienna since 1968.
Self-Examination, 1984
Gelber Narrenhut, 1974
The Ark of Odysseus, 1948-1956
Sources:
Wikipedia
http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2007/02/05/the-art-of-rudolf-hausner-1914-1995/
http://www.artnet.com/artists/rudolf-hausner/
