%C2%A9 G%C3%BCnter Brus and Arnulf Rainer
Hell Burns Cold (Die Hölle brennt kalt), 1984
Günter Brus; Artist: Arnulf Rainerexpand_more
Oil pastel, black crayon, graphite, and watercolor over a nature-printed engraving in sepia inkexpand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fund and Gift of funds from the Print and Drawing Councilexpand_more 89.31
Not on Viewexpand_more
Among Austria’s leading living artists, Arnulf Rainer and Günter Brus are renowned for cutting-edge work. In this collaboration, the artists created an unusual series by making drawings directly on 19th-century nature prints. This work incorporates one from an 1855 botanical treatise representing an anemone.
Rainer began by aggressively applying strokes of deep black oil stick to the engraving, obscuring much of the flower’s structure and actually tearing the sheet in several places. He established the rectangular “frame” and created an ominous vortex-like shape—formed partly by the wings of an immense cicada with protruding eyes—which seems to engulf the delicate plant. Brus, for his part, chose strange psychosexual imagery. Using black crayon, he added two prominent figures in the foreground. A demonic, skeletal form wearing a black hood gazes plaintively downward. The gaping crevice in its heart is an allusion to female genitalia. To the right, the disembodied head of a woman floats atop a stalk. The chaos of this disturbing scene is heightened by splattered watercolor in blue, gray, and violet.
Details
- Title
- Hell Burns Cold (Die Hölle brennt kalt)
- Artist Life
- 1938 - 2024
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 89.31
- Provenance
- The artists; [Margaret Roeder Gallery, New York]; sold to MIA, 1989.
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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© Günter Brus and Arnulf Rainer