Bold Distortion Characterized Friedensreich Hundertwasser's Art

Eye-catching and bizarre, the richly colored art of Friedensreich Hundertwasser fascinates. A well-known but always controversial Austrian artist, Hundertwasser (1928-2000) applied the sinuous forms and expressive distortions of Art Nouveau to a broad range of new forms. Stretching his art beyond traditional canvas, he applied it to buildings, postage stamps, flags, clothing, even toilet design!

Fascinated by spirals, Hundertwasser called straight lines "the devil's tools." In his work he explored the relationship between man, the constructed world and nature. Hundertwasser practiced and preached a philosophy of peaceful harmony with the environment in both his art and life. "If man walks in nature's midst, then he is nature's guest and must learn to behave as a well-brought-up guest," he said.

First achieving notoriety for his boldly-colored paintings, Hundertwasser is more widely renowned today for his revolutionary architectural designs. His buildings juxtaposed natural landscape features with irregular forms, resulting in surprising and unsettling perversions of traditional architecture that demand attention. Among the unusual features found in his buildings are undulating floors, sloping walls to create distorted perspectives, a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside rooms, their limbs extending from the windows.

This month's special offer at County Stamp Center, the Hundertwasser souvenir sheet set features three different works of art: Black Trees, Rainbow Windows and Man's Head (shown). Issued by Senegal in 1979, the three sheets carry a Scott Catalogue value of $525 but are priced at only $235 (shipping included) at County Stamp Center. Click the post title to learn more about Hundertwasser and to view the other two art works featured. Visit the County Stamp Center website for all your philatelic needs.