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Ernst Fuchs
was born to a Christian
mother and Jewish father
in Vienna, Austria, and was
baptized into the Catholic
faith at the age of twelve
to avoid extermination
camps during WWII
.
At the age of fifteen
he began attending the
Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna
,
where he met fellow students
who would go on to establish the
Vienna School of Fantastic Realism
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Although Fuchs painted
on a variety of mystical and
mythological subjects, he
wrestled with religious
concepts in many
of them
.
The
paintings
shown here are
arranged in the order
they appear in
the bible
.
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HEBREW TEXTS
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We’ll
begin the exhibit
in the book of Genesis,
with three paintings
featuring Adam
.
This
painting
seems to depict
Adam’s arms upraised
into the spiritual realm, while
being bound by the serpent
of temptation below
:
Adam Mysticus
1982
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(I can’t translate
the Hebrew letters
in the image above.
Can anyone help?)
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He returned
to this subject soon,
depicting a more traditional
scene in the Garden of Eden
.
Adam and Eve have
been tempted by the serpent
entwined in the branches of
The Tree of The Knowledge
of Good and Evil
:
Adam and Eve Under The Tree of Knowledge
1984
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NOTE:
Fuchs called this
‘The Tree of Knowledge’,
but scripture declares it as
‘The Knowledge of Good and Evil’
Genesis 2:9 & 2:17
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Now the serpent
was more crafty than
any of the wild animals
the LORD God had made
….
Genesis 3:1
Adam’s Destruction and Promise
1985
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The
next painting
is a beautiful scene
from the book of
Exodus
also mentioned
in the book of
Acts
:
After forty
years had passed, an
angel appeared to Moses
in the flames of a burning
bush in the desert near
Mount Sinai
.
Acts 7:30
Moses and the Burning Bush
1957
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Here’s
a portion of
Psalm 69
giving context
to the painting
shown below
:
Do not
hide your face
from your servant;
answer me quickly,
for I am in trouble
.
Come near
and rescue me;
deliver me because
of my foes
.
You
know how
I am scorned,
disgraced and
shamed; all my
enemies are
before
you
.
Psalms 69:17-19
Psalm 69
1960
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The previous Psalm
is attributed to
King David
.
The subject of the next
painting is of David’s
son, who became
King Solomon
and asked
this of
God
:
Give me wisdom
and knowledge, that
I may lead this people,
for who is able to govern
this great people of yours
?
2 Chronicles 1:10
King Solomon
1963
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God said
to Solomon
,
“Since this is
your heart’s desire
and you have not asked
for wealth, possessions or
honor, nor for the death
of your enemies
,
and
since you
have not asked
for a long life, but for
wisdom and knowledge
to govern my people
over whom I have
made you king
,
therefore
wisdom and
knowledge will
be given you
.
And
I will also give
you wealth, possessions
and honor, such as no king
who was before you ever
had and none after
you will have
.
2 Chronicles 1:11-12
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NEW TESTAMENT
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John
baptised Jesus
in the Jordan River,
where the Holy Spirit
descended into Him,
and His ministry
began
…
When all
the people were
being baptized, Jesus
was baptized too
.
And as
he was praying,
heaven was opened and
the Holy Spirit descended
on him in bodily form
like a dove
.
And a voice
came from heaven:
“You are my Son, whom
I love; with you I am
well pleased.”
Luke 3:21-22
John the Baptist at the Abyss
1947
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I
didn’t find
any paintings
during Jesus’ life,
until the Last Supper
before His arrest
:
Last Supper
1957
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After dinner,
they walked to the
garden in Gethsemane,
where Jesus was
arrested
.
“What shall I do,
then, with Jesus who
is called the Messiah?”
Pilate asked
.
They
all answered,
“Crucify him!”
“Why?
What crime has
he committed?”
asked Pilate
.
But
they
shouted
all the louder,
“Crucify him!”
Matthew 27:22-23
Christ Before Pilate
1957
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A lot
of my relatives
died in concentration
camps and the thought
that you were completely
helpless against a gang
of killers made a great
impression on me
.
Ernst Fuchs
Paris Review
1963
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In the title
of this crucifixion
painting, Fuchs reveals
that the male figure
in lower left is his
self-portrait
:
Crucification and Self Portrait
with Inge Beside the Cross
1945
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He painted
another crucifixion
scene about five
years later
:
Crucification
1950
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This version
is painted on twelve
goat skins sewn
together
.
It is one section of a triptych
called ‘The Rosary Paintings’
which hang in the church
at Hetzendorf-Wien
:
The Sorrowful Rosary
1961
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In
2004
Ernst Fuchs
illustrated and
published his
‘Golden Bible’
.
This is one of the
illustrations
:
The Crucifixion
1957
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This is one of the
paintings hanging at the
Ernst Fuchs Museum
in Vienna
:
The Resurrected Christ
1955
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After Jesus’ death,
resurrection and ascension,
the apostle John is exiled to
the Island of Patmos,
where he records
his visions
:
After this I looked,
and there before me
was a door standing
open in heaven
.
And
the voice
I had first heard
speaking to me like
a trumpet said, “Come
up here, and I will show
you what must take
place after this.”
Revelation 4:1
John on Patmos
1948
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In the
book of Revelation,
John records his vision
of a female figure
:
The
woman
was dressed in
purple and scarlet,
and was glittering with
gold, precious stones
and pearls
.
She held a
golden cup in
her hand, filled
with abominable
things and the
filth of her
adulteries
.
The name
written on her
forehead was
a mystery
:
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH
Whore of Babylon
1995
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I
saw
that the
woman was
drunk with the
blood of God’s holy
people, the blood of
those who bore
testimony to
Jesus
.
When I saw
her, I was greatly
astonished
.
Revelation 17:4-6
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This is the
central panel of
a larger work
.
The title declares this
to be the ‘Transfigured Christ’,
but Jesus is wearing only the
undergarment and there
are wound marks on
his hands and feet
.
The Transfiguration of Christ
happens earlier in Jesus’ ministry,
but I’m wondering if Fuchs meant
this to be a portrayal of the
Resurrected Christ
:
Transfigured Christ
1965
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For
the final
painting in this
online exhibit, I don’t
have anything
to add
!!!
I couldn’t find
any information about
this painting, but I love it
.
Paradise Tree
1972
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In 1990 he
began painting the
Apocalypse Chapel with
scenes from the book
of Revelation
:
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It is my
masterpiece on
which I have worked
almost for twenty years.
It is the topic of my life
.
Here’s a
Panoramic
View
:
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Ernst Fuchs
1930-2015
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If you want a glimpse of what
life was like around Ernst, here are some
‘Fragments, Memories & Momentary Epiphanies’
by Laurence Caruana
:
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Time to move on,
but one more before we
go; this is the Announcement
from the Gallery exhibiting
some of his work in
2022
Spring Awakening
featuring his
David & Bathsheba
:
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The icon for this
article is a detail from
‘Divine Jerusalem’
Ernst Fuch
1995
:
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