Oil on canvas;
111 x 189 in(in six parts, each 55,5 x 63 in) inch
Provenance: Phantastenmuseum Vienna.
The fascinating six-part work, which characterises the last years of Ernst Fuchs' work, was created with the collaboration of the artists and assistants Rainer Stern and Ernst Bruzek. Many artists wanted to participate in the master's work and become masters themselves. It is a certificate of the quality of his assistants and of himself. Fuchs determined the big picture and made the overall design according to his ideas. Maintaining the master-pupil connection was important to him; he created a kind of workshop operation, but a very different one.
‘I want to maintain the tradition of the master schools. My ideal would be to revive the workshop idea of the Renaissance period. Those who are talented should be well trained.’
(Ernst Fuchs in an interview with Dr Michaela Schlögl)
Ernst Fuchs wanted to let himself live on in his works, be it with his artistic talent, but also with self-portrayals, as can also be seen in this work. The religious theme of the work, the glorification and reference to Renaissance art also reflects Fuchs' existence as a painter-prince and concept; he felt the connection between art and religion and wanted to bring the thinking of the old masters into the present.
