Austrian born avant-garde artist Hermann Nitsch's work has been so controversial over the years that he has recieved three prison terms due to the 'grossly indecent' imagery he creates, that apparently 'incites violence'. Straight away, I find it admirable that he has always stood by his messages and intentions, which is a valuable quality for an artist to have. Despite backlash, he displays gorey, bloody work that ultimately reflects upon his own life. A lot of his work centres upon his experience during late World War 2 and the aftermath. Nitsch does not want to provoke audiences with this bold work, and never intended to in the first place.
I really enjoyed perusing his body of work, especially his 'Pour Painting' series that come across as violent and visceral. The red 'blood' splatters and their spontaneity reminded me of Jackson Pollock's notorious technique of dropping paint, from a height, onto a canvas. Unlike Pollock however, Nitsch lets the paint travel down the canvas using gravity, which implies an intense assault reminiscent
of a gunshot wound.
After looking into his background and approaches, Nitsch has inspired me to explore the idea of aggression and violence more in painting, as he proves how effective of a tool it can be when conveying such themes. The parallels between his work and the brutality of war are fascinating, which is why it is so unfortunate that many interpreted his work crass and hateful. I personally think both his themes, and his artistry, symbiotically work together to create stunning, bold works of art.
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