(born in Baden near Vienna in 1929)
Untitled, overpainting, black over red, on the frame signed, dated A. Rainer 56 as well as on the other side signed A. Rainer, mixed media with oil on canvas, 57 x 29.5 cm, with frame 76 x 47.5 cm, on the other side painting with inscription in capital letters in the artist’s handwriting: “Zweiter Materialversuch mit waschechten Textilfarben zur Vorbereitung für einen Vorhang in der Studentenkapelle Graz 1x Maschinen Wäsche zur Reduzierung der roten Farbe dringend noch notwendig.”, plexiglass box, 95 x 63 x 6.5 cm

Provenance:
Formerly Heinz Stangl Collection, Vienna

Cross and Night
I want to…avoid…a specific commentary on this visual thematic. I have been in the unclear about much, and remain in night, darkness, and fog. However, be it noted that the question of “presence”, “re-present”, “evidence/proof”, etc. that for hundreds of years circulated through the Christian churches has also been troubling my mind for a long time, because even at that time the paths to the art of the 20th century had already been set. At present, everything is more varied. Today’s artists no longer seem to rule out a special kind of hedonism and spiritualism. Ever since I came to know this, I have preferred to circumvent religious interpretations of my work. Personal, subjective, psychological, and analytical theorems are hardly suitable for these themes. A strong personal fascination with the cross and with night gives me the strength to set to work; I want to spot the various aspects of these paintings slowly for myself.
Arnulf Rainer 1980
From: Arnulf Rainer KREUZ „Es ist das Kreuz, das den Sinn ergeben könnte“, Arnulf Rainer Museum, DuMont Buchverlag, 2010

It could not be ascertained whether both sides must be seen in connection with the “Weinkreuz” for the Chapel of the Katholische Hochschulgemeinde (Catholic Chaplaincy) in Graz. The side with the inscription is a material test for “Weinkreuz”.

... a few preliminary studies preceded the first variant of the “Weinkruzifix”. They served to identify appropriate materials, colour values and constructions...
From: Friedhelm Mennekes, Arnulf Rainer Weinkreuz, Insel Verlag, 1993 – also see pp. 122-127