Ernst Fuchs is most closely associated with a series of brightly colored, richly textured paintings. Many of the works sought to combine allegorical and religious themes. Fuchs was born Jewish; however, to escape from Nazi tyranny in Austria in the build-up to World War II, his parents converted him to Catholicism. This religious duality frequently featured in his paintings.
An example of Fuchs’ work is the painting Last Supper, which he completed in 1957.
Other works included Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, Psalm 69 and Unicorn.
Fuchs was trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Along with fellow artists Anton Lehmden, Arik Brauer, Wolfgang Hutter and Rudolf Hausner, he founded an artistic movement termed Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. In general this involved painters using the the techniques of the Old Masters, emphasizing clarity and detail, combined with religious and esoteric symbolism.
Fuchs own work was influenced by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Max Pechstein, Heinrich Campendonck, Edvard Munch, Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso. This led him to experiment with vivid lighting effects and the use of texture, where tempera was used to layer up paint from the canvass. This was then glazed with oil paints mixed with resin to create a jewel-like effect.
Fuchs also paid attention to his appearance often sported a full beard and wore a series of patterned caps. As well as excelling as a painter, Fuchs also dabbled in sculpting, architecture, stage designing, composing, writing poetry and singing.
According to CBC News, Fuchs passed away on November 9, 2015, at the age of 85. The cause of his death has yet to be announced.
