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Self-portraits |
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The artist faces his own unconscious |
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by Domenico Maria Ardizzone |
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As far as we know there are around only a dozen self-portraits by Christian Hess produced during a period of some seventeen years; from when he opened his first studio at Theresienstrasse 75 in Munich in 1920 to when he left Sicily for the last time in 1937. Even when he was still a student Hess felt the need to face the special challenges posed by producing a self-portrait. In what was perhaps his first attempt at self-interrogation the result is stark, sober and severe. A dark, tightly-buttoned jacket with a collar and tie beneath a pale, unsmiling face. His hands hang tiredly, as if the paint brushes in his grasp are almost too heavy to hold. In the 1921 pencil drawing Hess seems thoughtful but serene; the gaze towards the future firm and clear. Another Munich self-portrait, from 1924, shows us Hess in waistcoat and tie and again at his most stern. The following year, in a pencil drawing made in Vienna, the artist is elegant and relaxed. Gradually the Hess which the artist chooses to reveal has abandoned his elegant formal attire and seems to have acquired greater self-confidence. |
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In the 1927 self-portrait Hess wears a fisherman's sweater and a jaunty beret; in the background we can make out some of his paintings. It is a pity that the only record of this portrait is a poorly focused black and white photograph. Despite this, Hess' move towards a more self-conscious introspection is clear. In this period in a letter to his sister Emma Hess reveals he enjoys wearing a range of outlandish hats and scarves to see the reaction of stolid fellow citizens who take him for a foreigner. Future self-portraits will all show Hess dressed casually and there's even one in a swimming costume. With increased maturity the artist also learns to harness - and reveal - existential anguish. |
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Perhaps the turning point is marked by the
charcoal on straw paper self-portrait which Hess produced in Messina
on 24 December 1928 - his 33rd birthday. Hess was to elaborate on a
similar theme a year later in Munich with an oil painting which, due
to the artist's lace collar, might be defined as a
"Renaissance-style" self-portrait. There is the same introspection
but there also is a sense of a more highly developed artistic
flourish. In this period he has become an active and leading member
of the Juryfreie movement. His works form a key part of the group's
collective exhibitions and he is garnering increased critical
attention. The prestigious Munich-based cultural magazine "Jugend"
honours Hess by featuring his works on its cover twice in the
space of a year. Unfortunately the 1929 self-portrait seemed
destined for oblivion as the radical young artists of the Juryfreie
faced growing ostracism from the authorities. First the criminal
blaze at the Glaspalast where their exhibitions were held and then
the banning of the group decreed by the Nazis who considered the
Juryfreie a "Bolshevist Cultural Union".
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The "Fortune-teller" self-portrait of his exile |
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 Studies on the
work and thought of Christian Hess begun recently by young researchers
working outside mainstream academic circles have led to some surprising
discoveries, including the uncovering of the conceptual themes of some
paintings that critics had previously failed to decipher. Without doubt
the most important revelation is that made in March 2009 by the
researcher and essayist Cristina Martinelli. After visiting the Hess
retrospective at the Municipal Museum in the artist’s birthplace of
Bolzano, Martinelli decided to look more deeply into certain aspects of
Hess’ career. She investigated a large range of archive material –
including that available on this website – and found enough evidence to
lead her to believe that “The Fortune-teller” (1933) should be seen as
an “autobiographical self-portrait”. In the painting the central figure,
who closely resembles Hess, has his back turned to the sea, expressing
all the sadness of his Sicilian exile; a sadness which is lightened,
however, by the simple kindness of the local people surrrounding him.
Dressed as the “fortune-teller”, he expresses his need to pose questions
about the future. Another emblematic detail is that the central figure
is wearing the red and white striped t-shirt habitually worn by the
young artists of the Munich-based Juryfreie movement – a symbol of his
isolation from the group. Many of the Juryfreie paintings were destroyed
in a mysterious blaze at the Glaspalast in Munich and the group was
later banned by the Nazi regime. |
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Identification with the people of Sicily |
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A happy moment from Hess' time in Sicily. In this
self-portrait the artist convincingly shows his enjoyment of the
simple pleasures of life on the meditterranean island: good wine,
the fruits of the earth and the sea. The smooth dogfish (a member of
the shark family found in large numbers in waters off Sicily) is
held up for the viewer's inspection with evident delight - its
dorsal fins spread wide as if it were sporting a bow tie for a gala
occasion. In the background a picture of Mount Etna smoking in the
distance - an image which recalls the colourfully painted carts used
by Sicilian peasants. The table offers a rich spread of local
products: a flask of cerasuolo, a jar of oil and a bottle of inzolia;
abundant fresh fruit, lemons and the needle fish draped over the
fruit dish. These are all recurring elements in many of his
paintings including some of his abstract works.
In the self-portrait on a boat (Messina 1933), in which Hess
is rowing with an unidentified oarsman seated behind him, the artist
expresses his sense of identification with the people of Sicily who
have greeted him with such warm hospitality and friendship. In an
essay published in the catalogue for the travelling exhibition of
Rediscovery (Palermo 1974) the art critic Marcello Venturoli writes: "Hess' sense of identification with the people of Sicily was a necessary counterpart to his solitary existence as a wandering exile in search of peace. In the 1933 painting 'Self-portrait on a boat' he dons a red beret and rows with such a determined expression he appears to be putting on a show for his nephews and nieces. His Cyclopean grip on the oar harks back to Scylla and Charybdis. As if this man from the North is saying: there is no country but the sun, that work and trust in life are without frontiers." |
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Cigarettes and wine in the battle against anxiety |
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A few time later in the midst of a deep spiritual crisis Hess was to attempt suicide. With the comfort and support of his sister Emma he regains strength and decides to leave Sicily for Switzerland. When he sets out he takes just a travel bag and leaves everything else behind for Emma: his paintings and the possessions he had hoped would form the heart of a new home.
Before his death following an air-raid on Innsbruck Hess
was to face eight years of hardship, sickness and poverty as he
travels back and forth between Switzerland and Bavaria and then
later the Tyrol.
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Self-portraits of his own painful decline |
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