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Oswald Tschirtner |
NAVRATIL (Leo). Gugging 1946-1986, Brandstätter, Vienna, 1997.
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| Oswald Tschirtner is a studious child raised in a Catholic family by an uncle who is a priest and a very devout aunt. He says he wants to enter priesthood. He is a good student at the seminary where he enrolls until 1939. Unable to continue the theological studies because of the war, he is drafted and joins the German army. He fights in the Stalingrad campaign, is taken prisoner by the French and sent to a camp in the South of France. He is hospitalized in 1946 when he shows signs of a mental disorder. He tells his doctor: "Doctor, I only want to do what God says I should do. There is a voice telling me to commit suicide, but this is against the 5th commandment!" He is sent back home, but his condition worsens and he is institutionalized at Gugging in 1954. | ||
| Very secretive and reserved, Oswald Tschirtner has feelings of guilt and constant anxiety. He takes no initiative and answers questions by saying yes or no. Ever since he was a child, Oswald was very obedient. He draws only when he is asked to do so. When Dr. Navratil suggests that he might pick up a pen or a pencil, he is unable to say no, gives in to his request and follows this demand. Nevertheless, he finds ways to give in with minimal solutions. Dr. Navratil names his male portraits: "Kopffüssler" (heads on legs). In fact, the head is quite complete, with well-combed hair. The body, however, is down to a strict minimum: two long legs attached to the head. Women look exactly like men. The bodies are absent, or rather very simplified. | ||
| Tschirtner's work is a delicate one; we could call it spiritual because of the way in which these elongated shapes reach out from earth to heaven. | ||
| SEE ALSO: Publications de la Collection de
l'Art Brut, fascicule 12, Gugging, Lausanne, 1983. NAVRATIL (Leo). Gugging 1946-1986, Brandstätter, Vienna, 1997. |
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