Untitled (Face Farce) 1971

Arnulf Rainer made this photographic print with paint. This image is kinda shocking at first glance! A closed-eye portrait marked by a single, forceful gesture in red, trailing with yellow and a hint of green – right down the middle. It’s so direct it is unnerving. You can just imagine Rainer, brush loaded, poised, maybe even a bit angry or defiant. What did he want to do to his own portrait? Was this a one-off act of iconoclasm, or was he repeating it, exploring the possibilities? I can see him experimenting, almost like he’s in conversation with his own image, arguing with it, or maybe even trying to deface or transform it. There is a kind of painting that is a crime scene. Rainer's 'Face Farce' makes me think about the violence of mark making – how a single gesture can alter everything. It also makes me think about how one artist can give another permission to try things. I can feel his creative energy rippling across time!