translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
300608: Sandman's art
Belvedere: Fantastic Realism
Sandman’s art
It really is remarkable: While a large part of the art industry ridicules “fantastic realism” (and rightly so), one of Vienna’s most celebrated art venues, which mainly devotes itself to Austrian art, hosts a large exhibit for this art movement.
It is a difficult task to seriously approach this kind of “sandman’s art” and it is just as difficult to find a hint of quality in it. The situation is made even worse by positioning one of Hausner’s works next to one of de Chirico’s, and in their midst Dali, Tanguy and Max Ernst. This juxtaposition hurts the classical Surrealists just as it visualises its epigonism to the followers of fantastic realism. The attempt to compare their work with that of the very young Rainer or Lassnig is also a huge mistake. While both of these artists developed their idea at an early stage, Fuchs or his colleagues never seemed to have reached this point.
Two aspects of fantastic realists are interesting: on the one hand their art corresponds to the composition of the post-war Austrian Republic and on the other hand they pretend to be the great revolutionaries. Many think that they, as figurative painters, had bucked the – overpowering - trend towards abstraction.
It would, however, be advantageous if a federal museum would draw a veil of silence over these paintings. Attaining favourable visitor statistics should never be a reason to do something like this.
Belvedere
1030 Vienna, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27, until 14. 09. 2008
www.belvedere.at
300608
Belvedere
1030 Wien, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27
Tel: +43 1 795 57-0, Fax: +43 1 795 57-121
Email: info@belvedere.at
http://www.belvedere.at
Öffnungszeiten: Täglich 10 bis 18 Uhr
Belvedere
1030 Wien, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27
Tel: +43 1 795 57-0, Fax: +43 1 795 57-121
Email: info@belvedere.at
http://www.belvedere.at
Öffnungszeiten: Täglich 10 bis 18 Uhr