Siegfried Anzinger: Werke auf Papier

Floating full of lightness between deep seriousness and great cheerfulness

With the "Grand Austrian State Prize 2003", Siegfried Anzinger's work has received the highest state honours in the Alpine Republic. At the same time, this is the recognition of a very reserved artist, above all of the painting of the eighties and nineties, which has always been somewhat difficult to deal with in Vienna, both officially and artistically - the failure of the institutions seems too overpowering, the scandal of Actionism still seems too deeply felt. Perhaps this is why Siegfried Anzinger turned his back on the local scene back in 1982 and moved to the Rhineland, where he has been teaching as a professor at the Academy in Düsseldorf since 1997. This is the centre of his life, where, far away from the Viennese world, he creates a formally mature, rigorous, but also incredibly stringent and at the same time very surprising work. In fragments, mythological figures encounter contemporary sensibilities, the formation of legends is measured against the nude and the phallus. For even in the world of myths, the real does not seem to exist in the false, absolute will still triumphs over any form. This is the contradiction that Siegfried Anzinger fights out in his magnificent series of watercolours: the scene is quickly ruined by the sexual, devaluations are quickly found where feeling recognises no way out. However, Siegfried Anzinger's ability to strike a masterful balance is demonstrated by his most recent works, created between 2001 and 2004: they hover lightly between deep seriousness and great cheerfulness.

Exhibitions:
Albertina, Vienna, 17/5 - 29/8/2004
Gemeentemuseum The Hague, 5/2 - 16/5/2005