Rudolf Hausner

The painting It's me!, completed in 1948, established Rudolf Hausner as a key figure in psychoanalytical art by depicting an elongated figure penetrating a landscape that tears like a backdrop. This work signaled his departure from conventional perspective, marking the beginning of a career that integrated the conscious and unconscious mind through meticulous, layered painting techniques.

Early Development and War

Born in Vienna in 1914, Hausner began his formal training at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in 1931 under Carl Fahringer and Karl Sterrer, completing his studies in 1936. His early career suffered significant disruption due to the Second World War. Drafted into the Austrian Armed Forces in 1937, he later faced state persecution when the Reich Chamber of Culture banned his work as degenerate art following the 1938 Anschluss. After serving in the German Armed Forces and working as a technical draftsman in the armaments industry, he returned to a damaged studio in Vienna to resume his artistic practice.

THE FREE TEST

How high is yours?

Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.

Take the IQ test →

Surrealism and the Fantastic Realists

In 1946, Hausner co-founded a surrealist group that included Ernst Fuchs and Wolfgang Hutter. This collective effort eventually evolved into the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism in 1959. Throughout this period, Hausner developed a unique style characterized by the series of 'Adam' paintings, which utilized self-portraiture to explore complex psychological themes. His masterpiece, The Ark of Odysseus, a project spanning 1948 to 1956, served as a precursor to these introspective works. Despite his involvement with surrealism, he eventually distanced himself from the group's orthodoxy, as his emphasis on balancing conscious and unconscious processes drew criticism from his contemporaries.

Academic Influence and Technique

Hausner served as a guest professor at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg from 1966 to 1980 and taught at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna starting in 1968. His students included Gottfried Helnwein and Joseph Bramer. Beyond his canvas work, which employed translucent resin oil paints applied in ten or more layers over acrylic underpainting, he was a prolific graphic artist. He designed postage stamps for the Austrian Post and the United Nations Postal Administration. His technical innovation allowed for seamless transitions in oil painting, achieving a distinct luminous depth that became a hallmark of his later production.