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FRIEDENSREICH HUNDERTWASSER AND THE FIGHT AGAINST THE STRAIGHT LINE |
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The Viennese painter, architect and ecologist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was born the son of a civil servant and a Jewish mother in 1928 as Friedrich Stowasser. Early on in his life, he was witness to the German holocaust and the murder of 69 relatives and friends in concentration camps. His education disrupted by the Third Reich, he finished his school education in 1949 and proceeded to study at the Vienna School of Fine Art for 3 months. After meeting the French painter René Brô, he moved to Paris, changed his name to Friedensreich Hundertwasser and started his extensive travels. From that time on, Hundertwasser became a rebel of sorts, staging protests and developing manifestos towards a more ecological and peaceful world. First through his paintings, then his public protests and finally through his architecture, he became a sounding organ for activists throughout the world and a thorn in the side for many more conventionally minded people. This essay sets out to plot Hundertwasser’s development from painter to architect and to summarise his main philosophies and architectural work.
Hundertwasser’s interest began at a young age, when he would measure and draw plans of his mother’s flat. It was the scale of things that fascinated him, and their relation to the rest of a space. Although he had a deep interest in architecture, he began his career as a painter, because he saw it as an unachievable dream; he “felt like a street sweeper who loves the city and … knows every nook and cranny. When sweeping the street he wonders why architects have made the buildings the way they are, allowing dirt to accumulate. But asked why he doesn’t become an architect himself he will reply: Me? I am only a street sweeper.”
Even though Hundertwasser did not take the plunge into architecture then, it was a constant theme in his painting. Works such as The Cathedral, which was painted in Morocco in 1951, show clearly the start of his roof forestation philosophy. In Skyscraper on Stilts in the Style of Le Corbusier and Village Church (1951), he set out to prove that “the dwelling cells in high-rises can be individually varied and humane and positive, so that a person can already see where he lives from the outside.” The Garden of the Happy Dead (1953), using the image of a spiral to symbolise the cycle of death and rebirth, shows the anticipation of an ecological burial method.
In Almost a Circle (1953), the wrongness of the straight line is the subject, Hundertwasser’s comment on it being “Even if man is forced to walk through streets straight as a ruler, his personal, individual trail is never straight, but subject to his momentary impulses.”. According to Hundertwasser, “the eyes’ nervous system perceives the infinite number of straight lines as acute dangers. Man grows mentally ill without knowing why.”. In the painting Come Take a Walk with Me – Dialogue (1970), Hundertwasser personifies architecture by transforming a human head into a house, this symbolises the house as the third skin of man – he perceives damage to it as much as he would to himself. “The house must grow like an organism. It must not be a block designed by architects and erected like a stillborn child which is prevented from living or dying. A house must be a living, organic unit which goes on developing and constantly changes.” At a time when the architectural “men of the moment” were architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Adolf Loos, these theories, albeit from a somewhat eccentric painter, were quite revolutionary.
Hundertwasser’s first writing, The Straight Line Leads to the Downfall of our Civilisation, was written in 1953 at the same time as Almost a Circle was painted. Here, he focused on the realisation that as he meanders around Paris on his bicycle, he draws an organic line that crosses the lines traced by others, and comes to the conclusion that this array of lines are a thing of beauty, much more meaningful than drawn or built lines around him. It is here that the catchphrase “La ligne droite conduit à la perte de l’humanité.” first appears. Between 1953 and 1958, several essays and letters focusing on the horrors of the straight line were written. Hundertwasser’s first public outing on this issue was at Seckau Abbey, where he read his strong, if somewhat naïve, Mould Manifesto against Rationalism in Architecture. He condemned the common belief that only “qualified professionals” are capable of creating buildings, and promoted the notion that building should be free to everyone, inasmuch as painting and sculpture can be created and exhibited by anyone. The tenant should be allowed to design and construct his own abode and be responsible for his own four walls, even if that means buildings are not structurally sound and lives may be lost. By Hundertwasser’s logic, if a building collapsed, taking lives, it would ensure that the tenants are more accomplished next time round. Once a stop has been put to “having people move into quarters like chickens and rabbits into their coops”, the small human sacrifice will be irrelevant. Realising, however, that this was not a viable option, he then goes on to explore the option of window rights, namely the freedom to reach out of his window and transform anything within arm’s reach. Consequently, his living space is recognisable as that of an individual from the street. Hundertwasser’s reasoning behind this is that an architect, no matter how much of a genius, cannot know who will inhabit the house, and thus has no true relationship to the building. The builder, according to Hundertwasser, also has no relationship to the building, as he does not care what happens to it once his work there is finished. In Hundertwasser’s opinion, the tenant should be tenant, builder and architect in one, as only then the building will be of merit. Again, he criticises the use of the straight line, saying that any architecture that utilises it is invalid. He condemns people such as Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, demanding their buildings be torn down, as “they have been outdated for a generation and have become morally unbearable.”. The only option for these buildings, apart from destruction, is to let natural weathering and moulding set in, in order to allow nature to reclaim them to some extent. Ultimately, the only function of the architect should be that of technical advisor, subordinate to the tenant.
Hundertwasser’s ability to truly shock showed itself in the 1960s, when he undertook a number of Nude Speeches for the Right to a Third Skin, namely the right to individual housing. These speeches mainly took place on university campuses and involved Hundertwasser throwing paint-filled eggs at the surrounding buildings and stripping off during the ensuing commotion. The aim of these speeches was to highlight his philosophies and try to gain followers. He usually got arrested as a result, but justified his actions by claiming them to be artistic acts and stating that even St. Francis of Assisi had preached naked.
Another scandalous act was to openly damn the architecture of one of Austria’s most loved architects – Adolf Loos. With the slogan “Loose from Loos” (Los von Loos), Hundertwasser held rousing speeches against the “box-prison mischief” advocated by Loos and his followers. As an Austrian, Hundertwasser felt obliged to do this, as “it was from Austria that this architectural crime was launched into this world. It is thus from Austria that reparations must come. The Austrian Adolf Loos brought this atrocity into the world. In 1908, with his manifesto aptly entitled Ornament and Crime. No doubt he meant well. Adolf Hitler meant well, too.” Whereas Hundertwasser had no objection to the straight line when used sparingly, “the way it was used by the Egyptians and the Romans” or by geniuses such as Mies van der Rohe or Mondrian, he felt that “most architects use the straight line only out of convenience.”. Loos’ crime was to develop a style that was more economic and functional than the unique buildings that went before, thus evening the way for mass-produced housing, which he called prison psychosis. Again, window rights were advocated as a remedy. In this speech, Hundertwasser urged the public to take matters into their own hands and rebel by refusing to enter the “sterile boxes” without making adjustments such as applying some paint. He also touches on the issue of roof forestation, arguing that mankind must return to nature some of the ground taken by buildings.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Hundertwasser continued to write and talk of his architectural vision, discussing often the merits of roof forestation and tree tenants, window rights and organic shapes. On the television show “Make A Wish” in 1972, he actively demonstrated how windows could be transformed in a matter of hours at minimal cost. Consequently, decorated windows sprung up all over Austria and Germany as people enforced their window rights. Using an apartment building in Milan during the Milan Triennial in 1972, he illustrated the tree tenant concept, i.e. giving over a percentage of the rooms to indigenous trees, which would then provide cleaner air, visual stimulation and shade. Hundertwasser also used models and collages at shows and exhibitions to show how his theories worked. During this time he came up with models for the eye-slit house (which is embedded in the countryside), pit house (where the façade forms a low-level courtyard) and high-rise meadow house (where each storey is topped by a meadow) concepts, some of which were realised later.
It was not until the early 1980s that Hundertwasser was able to put his architectural theories into practice. But when he did, it was in the form of an “Architecture Doctor”, meaning the “creative redesign of already existing, ugly, sick buildings in harmony with nature and the individual dreams of man.”. Hundertwasser deeply embedded himself in these projects, working on the building site, giving instructions for after-care and checking on the buildings after completion, sometimes even participating in fund-raising activities for the project. The first project was the redesign of a factory façade in Selb, Germany. The company, Rosenthal Porcelain, has made a conscious effort at incorporating artistic design into its buildings and previous buildings have been designed by Walter Gropius and others. Hundertwasser was able to incorporate both tree tenants and roof forests into the scheme, adding cheerful mosaics to the dreary façade. Another notable early project was the Rupertinum in Salzburg, where mosaic “tongue beards” were suspended from underneath the windowsills of this historic building, in order to draw attention to the modern art exhibition inside.
Hundertwasser’s first complete refurbishment was that of the Church of St. Barbara in Bärnbach, and as it included structural changes Hundertwasser involved an architect, Manfred Fuchsbichler. This was truly a community project, since the parishioners took an active part in the work on site and local artists were commissioned to design the interior. The only condition for Hundertwasser’s participation was to be allowed to redesign the surrounding area, too. The reason for this request was that he wanted to include an ecumenical aspect into the scheme and place 12 gates bearing symbols for all the major world religions around the church. The exterior of the church shows an abundance of Christian symbols, such as the cross, lamb, dove, anchor, and alpha and omega, thus inviting the faithful in to pray. The building is beautifully detailed throughout and in itself a joyful celebration of Christ. Shortly after completion, the building became a popular tourist attraction and focal centre for this industrial region, a trait common to all Hundertwasser houses and possibly a reason why so many have been commissioned since. This quality was picked up on by the management of a motorway restaurant near Vienna, which was in need of refurbishment. Having negotiated with other architects, who had all concluded that the original building be torn down, the management asked Hundertwasser to redesign the 70s building. The aim was to modernise the facility, attract more visitors and increase turnover, at minimum cost. Hundertwasser’s design fitted the brief and included both roof forests and the trademark curvy mosaics along the façade, although some changes were made subsequently.
Hundertwasser’s most personal project was the redesign of an old factory in Vienna’s Third District into a gallery to house a permanent collection of his work, the KunstHausWien. He was given free rein as to the design of the building and strived to incorporate as many of his theories as possible. Although he left the fabric of the building untouched as such, he added some bay windows with space for tree tenants and a glass walled staircase was added, in order to gain more natural light. The walls and floors are left uneven and again the buoyant mosaics occur in abundance, both inside and out. To the back of the building lies a court yard which houses a café, also designed by Hundertwasser, and a variety of trees. The design is again meticulously carried into the tiniest detail, such as the tables in the café and the mirror frames in the toilets. According to Hundertwasser, “KunstHausWien stands up for art and an architecture in harmony with creation that mankind has been waiting and longing for.”
A more controversial project was the exterior redesign of the Spittelau District Heating Plant. Originally, Hundertwasser was strongly opposed to the idea, as he had objections to the concept of a garbage-incinerating plant. But it was proven to him that the plant would help cut down on pollution, as it converted garbage into heat for the surrounding apartments and would be equipped with the most up-to-date technology. When Hundertwasser agreed, he again decorated the façade with mosaics and included turrets, mimicking the large chimney of the plant. As a gimmick, a large-scale replica of his trademark cap was added to the design.
There followed some large-scale housing projects in Bad Soden and Plochingen in Germany, which were integrated into an existing townscape, and which again used the concepts of roof forests and tree tenants along with curved planes. In these projects, another theme was explored by Hundertwasser, namely giving the impression of water running along the walls by including tile “streams” along the façade. These housing schemes, “In the Meadows” and “Living Beneath the Rain Tower”, appear to have been a success with the inhabitants, and more such schemes were planned, although not always realised.
Hundertwasser’s by far most comprehensive and largest scheme was the Blumau Hot Springs Village, which is an entire spa complex based, amongst others, on his eye-slit and pit house models. The complex was an entirely new construction in conjunction with Peter Pelikan, although, strangely very little literature exists on it.
Hundertwasser had a part in many other projects, architectural and other, and left a huge amount of cultural heritage in and around Austria. Although not everyone would agree with his philosophy, there can be no doubt that his buildings and paintings are enjoyed by thousands of people and that a Hundertwasser House provides agreeable surroundings, if only for a short time. He was a man who stood by his principles and fought for them over several decades, and who gave his services free of charge if he believed in the cause. His talents were varied – not only did he paint and design buildings, he also designed a ship and a plane, postage stamps, posters and license plates. Asked whether he considered himself a good architect, he replied “No, I don’t. I think I’m a good painter, but not a good architect. But the others are so bad! I do what I can to create a world that’s more human, to make people feel more at ease.”
Friedensreich Hundertwasser died on 19th February 2000, at the age of 72. Most of the obituaries were written by junior reporters who took a somewhat amused stance on his architecture. It appears none of them researched his manifestos or read his treatises.
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| The Cathedral | Skyscraper on Stilts | Come take a Walk with me |
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| Almost a Circle |
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Tree Tenants |
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| Windows at St. Barbara | KunstHausWien logo | |
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| Cap at Spittelau | Living beneath the Raintower | |
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