Customer Reviews

Hundertwasser (Taschen 25th Anniversary)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hundertwasser died early this year in a little town in the North of New Zealand. Eventhough I had never met the man, I felt saddened, as I had come of know of him, and his work from this book, which is a biography of sorts.

While for me, the great attraction was the beautiful quality of the reproductions which replicated the pure pure colours, the text is mostly in an interview format, and one gets to hear Hundertwasser's 'voice' - and from that his spirit. I found myself wondering at times, if it was solely his work, or his passion which made the legend of Hundertwasser. The artist has strong opinions about everything, from garden gnomes to his hatred for conventional and boring buildings. I found his concepts of 'tree tenents' (trees should live with us in apartments) and houses that should be indistinguishable from above (by growing grass roofs) fascinating. However, at the end of the day, it is his bold use of colour - vivid, vibrant, confrontational colour coupled with his enigmatic yet child-like imagery, which glows in my memory.

REVIEW SUBTITLE: A Serendipitous Purchase

While I had come across references to "the art of Hundertwasser," because I knew only of him as an architect and consider architecture an art, I assumed that the colorful work adorning the cover of this book was one of the Gaudi-esque architect's occasionally fancified plans. As a number probably know, however, it is not. Rather it is but one of Hundertwasser's many paintings.

Though I'd expected a book on architecture, I was not disappointed to receive one focusing on H's development as a painter. In fact, I was elated, for splashed across approximately 2/3rds of the 197 pages of this book are what had originally attracted me to him: the "lush opulence" of what I now know are his watercolors and paintings.

This book, however, is not just a visual feast. In addition tracing his development as an artist, the text includes and discusses H's thoughts on topics such as those noted in the Table of Contents I've included in the commentary following this review. And while some may seem esoteric, the discussions are not. In fact, they're fascinating.

That most of the focus of Taschen's retrospective of H and his work is on water colors/painting is not surprising, for so few of his structures were ever realized. However, approximately 30 well-illustrated pages are devoted to H's theories about architecture, his architectural models, and the utopian structure he was commissioned by the city of Vienna to build.

I was certainly correct in one assumption I made when I ordered HUNDERTWASSER: With the words "Taschen 25th Anniversary" attached to its title, I could not go wrong. Nor will anyone who purchases it.

I was in an extremely bad mood, walking around with a scowl and wishing there was more to the mundaeity that was around me. And that was when I found this book. I had never come across Hundertwasser before. This book is a magical journey throughout the artists life with beautiful reproductions of his amazingly inspirational works. The strength in the book is in its layout, sequencing and the question and answer format between the author of the book and Hundertwasser himself. This book, without sounding cliqued, has changed me and I will continue to hunt for any Hundertwasser I can find. Pure Magic.

This is a nice portfolio of prints of his artwork. It only covers twelve of his paintings, and one print of the poster he did of the Hundertwasser-Haus in Vienna. Although there are very few pages, they are quite large, and have beautiful colors. This is definately coffee-table sized. This portfolio contains very little. Would have liked to see more of his architecture.

I am a quilter, and bought this book largely because of my love for batiks,(which are cotton fabrics hand dyed)and on recollection of a show I saw 32 years ago on Hundertwasser in Toronto's ROM.I like it,big time.Yep,there's no gold leaf in them thar hills and curves of Hundertwasser repros,if it bothers you enough,grab a gold leaf marker and add it yourself.Taschen offers value for your money,if you want gold leaf,you may have to add another 20.00 to the cost of the book.I have no problems about the quality of the repros.Anything that looks like pale brown,try and doublecheck,it is likely it is gold leaf. The artist may not have alot to say as other painters,but his designs,and color sense are really got me going into my studio.
I am glad I got it!

Born Friedrich Stowasser in Vienna in 1928; rechristened himself Fritz, Friedreich, Friedenreich; Hundertwasser, Regentag, Dunklebunt! Hey, I can identify! As Walt Whitman said: "Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."

Friedenreich Hundertwasser [Peacerich Hundredwaters] died in 2000, widely acclaimed as one of the great artists and visionary architects of the second half of the heinous last century. Bearded, sandaled, the very image of what Americans call a "hippy", Hundertwasser was in fact an artist of immense self-discipline in his art. His influences are obvious: Klimt, Klee, Schiele, Gaudi. There are precious few of his paintings in the museums of the USA, so this large-format Taschen volume may be the best way for Americans to discover him. Ten thousand of my words would not be worth a moment's glance at his vibrant images, so I won't offer them. You can see a lot of his work on your computer screen by simply googling his name. There are fewer than ten thousand words of biographical text in this volume, and I found it quite hard to pay attention to them when I could stare at the pictures on the same pages. Taschen books, as you probably know, are remarkably well done and astoundingly cheap for their quality.

I've just discovered that the only Hundertwasser building in North America is a winery in the Napa Valley of California, called "Quixote." Their wines start at $40 a bottle. I've signed up for a tour later this week. Their website has lovely photos of Hundertwasser's whimsical building and grounds.

i love this book. just like that other guy, i was walking my library and i saw this really colorful book and i picked it up and was so suprised at how awesome it was. this guy is now one of my favorite artist. its strage how someone this brilliant isnt in the limemight. thats one of the reasons i like him so much, people dont a big deal out of him. one of the things i fisrt noticed was how well he can use nearly eery color and make it not irritating to the eye. that doesnt happen very often. just buy this book if you have money to blow on a great art book

Taschen is one of my favorite publishers of art books; usually I buy them in German but this one is available in English and is the result mainly of an interview in 1993 of Hundertwasser by author Harry Rand. Hundertwasser was gone from us in 2000, so this is very close to a view of his entire lifespan.

The book has the interview interspersed with personal photos and photos of the paintings and buildings. This book shines in that it is not a simple art history and bio; the interview really gives a flavor of Hundertwasser's originality of thought. After you read it, you get a firm sense that Hundertwasser, who grew up somehow evading the Nazi threat (he was Jewish, or half-Jewish and was in Austria during the Anschluss) and who had obviously learned to deal with privation, subsequently learned to live totally in the "now" moment. He is hardly retrospective and some quick hints of what were probably his most frustrating characteristics are given in this interview. (For example, he was invited to give an important talk but cancelled because "I had a girl and I didn't want to miss her.") He sent some materials but this irritated those to whom he had committed. Likewise, he drew on wood panelled walls of a splashy conference center to illustrate a point and a long lawsuit ensued; he averred the drawing was worth FAR MORE than the paneling and the unimaginative American owners of the center destroyed the panel, replaced it and were not amused. A similar incident in Europe was greeted with happier results--the drawing on the wall was preserved.

The paintings shine in this book but the photos of the architecture, buildings which make you want to dance and sing, are less successful. I wished for far more and larger photos of these unique creations in space. Still, this is a fairly priced book and the interview is worth the entire book and gives a better feeling for Hundertwasser, at a moment's glance, than any biographical chronologies. Which makes a lot of sense if you think about it.

This book is informative and very well made. Hundertwasser is one of my favorite artists and I own several books about his life and work. This is one is (so far) the best. The Taschen book reproduces his work beautifully, showcasing the washes and color use that make his work truly sublime. It also contains some wonderful photographs of the buildings he designed, which make one wish all construction could be so imaginative. This book was more than I expected for a very fair price.

I love the art of Hundertwasser and this portfolio provides about 10 small poster sized paintings (16" x 20") that easily can be removed from the book; the book is designed for clean and easy removal for each painting.

So far, I have framed two paintings, one for the living room and one for the office.

I would like to see Taschen bring out additional portfolios with new Hundertwasser prints.

I am incredible pleased with this product and amazed at the low cost, just over $10. A huge bargain!