SELFPORTRAIT WITH THE CRITICAL EYE
revisiting my profile

This painting from 1980 defines who I am

^{Selfportrait with the Critical Eye
acrylic on canvas - 1978-82 - restored 1994 - 77 x 92 cm}


You find it, with relevant links to prints, on my website:
SELFPORTRAIT WITH THE CRITICAL EYE
Over the years, I had used different images for my profile on various websites and social sites, but the most consistent, my "signature image" is this one, it is, and always will be the image on my business card.

^{here is a newspaper clipping from the early eighties - I graduated from the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada in 1982}
Another sort of trivia about this painting I almost forgot to mention: the title also has something to do with the sort of conflict I felt as an artist writing as a art critic for our local paper as well as a few times for a leading Canadian art magazine (sort of - they picked up some of my local articles). This is what the eye in my mouth on the smaller portrait means.
The reflection of a lady in my sunglasses was supposed to include the space in front of the painting where she is presumably standing. I just tried to stay one step ahead of the rise of conceptual art that happened at that time.

◄ I had exhibited throughout the world, here is a invitation from the Luminarte Art Gallery in Dallas, Texas, from 2013 - featuring my signature painting.







This is my profile picture on my
Facebook Artist Page people recognize it, it is a brand, so it will not be changed ►

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The previous inspiration for this was a small colored ink drawing called

SHAMAN PORTRAIT

It sort of 'existed' on the internet in relative obscurity (I had never published it on my official website), but last year a collector and customer of my Vienna agent somehow found it and asked if it was available. Since I was going to have a solo exhibition upcoming just at that time, I restored and re-framed it and included it in that show. It is now in a nice home at this private collector's place in Vienna.
I attended the UofL from 1977 to 1982, so this little ink drawing was just before I entered my art studies.

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Visiting Austria in 1980, I brought a copy of my painting (and a portfolio) with me and showed it to Professor Rudolf Hausner. I was inspired by Hausner's work at that time, and several pieces I had produced in those years showed his influence. I was a little worried that it might be viewed as derivative, but Hausner praised my work, said it shows excellent handling of the brush ("gute pinselführung") and further remarked that "what we did was not a great state secret (was wir so machten war ja kein großes Staatsgeheimniss), we published it for others to be inspired".
The main reason for visiting Professor Hausner was however to discuss the possibility of an exhibition of the Vienna School at my Alma Mater - I had at that time filled in as Gallery Director for the UofL Professor in charge who was on sabbatical. Long story short, I came back to Lethbridge with a proposal, but it was not supported by the University Senate (it was supposed to be for the opening of the new Fine Art Building). I was disappointed. The positive that came from it was that with information, books and catalogs that Professor Hausner gave me, I wrote an essay to present to the senate, a paper I also presented in my Art History class. Many years later, I added some more research and published it on my website - so far, and I say this without the intend of bragging, this is the only comprehensive information in the English language about this very important Austrian Art Movement:

THE VIENNA SCHOOL OF FANTASTIC REALISM

I stayed in touch with Professor Hausner for a few years, and he sent me brochures and catalogs from time to time. Eventually, the contact sort of faded. When I found out about his death in 1995, I was devastated. Only a year earlier, in 1994, I remembered our correspondences, and for a fundraiser for the Grande Prairie Art Gallery in Alberta, I created a painted mailbox, called RUDI, SCHREIB MAL:

^{RUDI, SCHREIB MAL - acrylic on steel mail box - this image is one of his typical self-portraits as Adam - I added a pseudo postage stamp with my logo and the year 94}

I also feel fortunate and privileged to have known and befriended the other giant art figure of the Vienna School once I returned to Vienna in 2011 - and had been studio neighbor to Professor Ernst Fuchs at the Palais Palffy for a couple of years, until we both moved out. Ernst Fuchs passed away in 2015. I am close friends with his family still. His son Michael painted my portrait last year, but these stories are for another chapter.

I joined Steemit in August 2017 - see my Steemit Introduction ABOUT MY WORK

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Note: I am an Austrian Artist living in Vienna
I post many of my blogs under the tag #steemit-austria