571 - Rudolf Polanszky (1951, Vienna)

Rudolf Polanszky (1951, Vienna) Untitled Mixed media with oil, foam, and acrylic glass on jute. (19)88. Approx. 120 x 90 cm. Signed and dated on the reverse of the jute. Framed in original studio frames. • A work with particularly appealing colors and a dense composition • A characteristic early work, influenced by Actionist impulses and experimental material art • Polanszky’s work is represented in Vienna by the renowned Galerie Krinzinger and has been exhibited multiple times at Gagosian in New York The late 1980s mark a transitional phase in the artistic development of the Austrian avant-garde artist Rudolf Polanszky: Physical materiality and the principle of deconstruction came to the fore, contrasting with his early performative and conceptual approaches (such as the lard drawings of the 1970s). This canvas painting by Polanszky from 1988 is a prime example of what he himself refers to as “ad hoc synthesis.” By this he means the deliberate rejection of classical compositional rules and academic aesthetics in favor of guided chance. During this creative period, Polanszky broke away from the traditional, two-dimensional application of paint. His works on unprimed jute break out of the plane and evolve into reliefs and collages. Typically, as seen here, he combines oil paint with materials foreign to the medium—often discarded industrial materials such as Plexiglas, foam, synthetic resin, or mirror foil. The materials used often already bear traces of weathering and wear, thereby integrating the uncontrollable process of decay into the final texture of the paintings. From an art-historical perspective, Polanszky’s work can be classified between Post-Actionism and a radical further development of Arte Povera. While Viennese Actionism placed the body at the center, Polanszky sublimated this energy in the late 1980s into the pure transformation of matter. At the same time, the raw, unvarnished aesthetic points to his close intellectual kinship with Franz West. Both artists share a fascination with the unfinished, the nonconformist, and the ironic subversion of the “masterpiece.” Provenance: Private collection, Austria. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).