Title : Opera Di Arnulf Rainer
Artist : Arnulf Rainer
Arnulf Rainer was a Surrealist painter and photographer. After seeing Jackson Pollocks painting and other abstract painters, he started to emulate their work. In the beginning he painted over other peoples photographs. Now he paints over his own, many which are self portraits. Like the piece Opera Di Arnulf Rainer, he took a self portrait and put a separate medium on top of it. His strokes that lay upon on the image remind of a lot of Jackson Pollocks brush strokes. There is definitely a similar style being represented in Arnulf Rainers photo collaborations.
I chose this photo because when i looked at his work this was the first piece that grabbed my eye. The black dot above his lip reminds me of marilyn monroe. I also like that he is yawning and it is just his face in the frame. The photos that he has that show the whole body of a person are not as interesting to me because i would rather focus on the painting and pencil that he applied to the top of the photo. This is what is interesting to me about the photos. He also has a series that are painted over with different colors that i find quite interesting. To me it is no longer about the person but the abstract form and personality that the photo takes on when a separate medium is added to it.
I had a difficult time finding this photo in any online collections, so i do not know the date this piece was made. But i was committed to this photo from the start and would not change my decision.