A commission to decorate the Kleines Festspielhaus in Salzburg in 1925 marked a significant turning point in the career of Anton Faistauer, an Austrian artist defined by his contributions to the Expressionist movement. Born in 1887 in Sankt Martin bei Lofer, he moved through the rigorous academic systems of Vienna before challenging the establishment he once studied under.
Early Education and Rebellion
Born into a farming family, Faistauer initially pursued ecclesiastical studies before an introduction to Albert Paris Gütersloh shifted his focus toward painting. Between 1904 and 1906, he attended Robert Scheffer’s private school in Vienna prior to enrolling at the Academy of Fine Arts. Under instructors Alois Delug and Christian Griepenkerl, he developed his foundational skills. However, in 1909, he abandoned the institution to co-found the Neukunstgruppe alongside Franz Wiegele, Egon Schiele, Robin Christian Andersen, and Anton Kolig. This collective functioned as a direct protest against the conservative traditions mandated by the Academy.
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Between 1909 and 1912, Faistauer traveled across Berlin, Northern Italy, and Ticino to exhibit his work. His personal life changed in 1913 when he married Ida Andersen, the sibling of his contemporary, Robin Christian Andersen. Following the outbreak of the First World War, he returned to Maishofen in 1915. Despite a declaration of unsuitability, he performed military service between 1916 and 1918 with the k.u.k.-Infanterieregiment Nr. 59. In 1917, he began working at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, where he collaborated with Schiele to coordinate war-related art displays.
Post-war Developments and Final Years
Relocating to Salzburg after 1918, he established the radical group Der Wassermann with Felix Albrecht Harta. Tragedy marked this transition, as his wife died shortly before the group held its first exhibition. By 1925, declining health necessitated therapeutic travel to Bolzano as he battled gastric and pulmonary issues. During this period, he produced significant fresco work for the Kleines Festspielhaus, the Bamberg seminary, and a property in the Weidlingau area of Vienna. Although he declined a professorship at the Academy in 1926, he remained active until his death from a stomach hemorrhage in 1930.
Fast facts
- Born: 14 February 1887, Sankt Martin bei Lofer
- Died: 13 February 1930, Vienna
- Education: Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
- Movement: Expressionism
- Burial location: Maishofen
- Notable publication: Neue Malerei in Österreich (1923)
- Commemoration: Anton-Faistauer-Preis awarded since 1972
Questions readers ask
What was the Neukunstgruppe?
It was an artist collective founded by Faistauer, Egon Schiele, and others in 1909 to oppose the rigid, conservative standards maintained by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Where can his notable fresco work be found?
His major commissions included frescoes at the Kleines Festspielhaus in Salzburg, a seminary in Bamberg, and a castle in the Weidlingau district of Vienna.
Achievements
- Movement: Expressionism
