‘Glashaar’ Arnulf Rainer

• An expressive work from 1968, dating from Rainer’s experimental creative phase, straddling the line between overpainting and gestural freedom • Luminous shades of yellow and powerful arcs of black paint create an almost explosive dynamism • A tension-filled interplay of expressive density, spontaneous interweaving lines and painterly openness The year 1968 marks a particularly experimental phase in Arnulf Rainer’s oeuvre. Following the predominantly dark, flat overpaintings of the 1950s, his visual language increasingly gained gestural freedom and expressive colour. His intensive exploration of spontaneous forms of expression and extreme psychological experiences opened up new artistic possibilities for the Austrian avant-garde artist, without him abandoning the central principle of layering. This oil pastel work illustrates this development in a striking manner. Particularly characteristic is the interplay between concealment and revelation. The black layers assert their dominant presence, yet increasingly allow space for the luminous colours and the underlying structures. In this way, Rainer combines the radical pictorial conception of his early overpaintings with a new, unbridled expressiveness. 1968 was also a significant year in his artistic career: the Museum of the 20th Century in Vienna dedicated its first major retrospective to him. This work was thus created during a phase of intense artistic renewal and growing recognition. It demonstrates how Rainer expanded the possibilities of overpainting and developed the expressive gestures that would have a lasting influence on his later work. | 1929 Baden bei Wien - Wien 2025 | Zeitgenössische Kunst | Gemälde | Nummer: 26x2229 | Provenance: Galerie Van de Loo, München, verso auf der Rahmenrückwand mit dem Etikett; B. Koestler Kunsthandlung, München, verso auf der Rahmenrückwand mit dem Etikett; Privatsammlung, Bayern.

Stima:15.000€

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