If required: retreat
The drawing “Rudolf Horacek in Mannswörth“ (1984) from the private foundation artists from gugging was the inspiration for this fancy glove puppet. The musem gugging is Austria’s center of Art Brut, and the subject of a head looking, as it seems, with big eyes out of a turtle neck is one of its most famous pictures. The painter Rudolf Horacek (1915-1986) was part of the community of artists residing there. Reclusiveness was his way of life. His work is characterised by simple depictions of heads, often repeatedly overpainted.
Petra Stelzmüller was fascinated by the simplicity and at the same time expressive power of the head drawn by Rudolf Horacek. Who does not once in a while feel the urge to pull one’s sweater right up to the nose, either to get warm or to just hide? Unintended retreating and covering mouse and nose became rather popular in 2020. According to Petra Stelzmüller that way the subject was given new significance and her idea became manifest in a playful realization: a glove puppet, 22 cm tall – MISTER HORACEK.
MISTER HORACEK is a present for people with a sense of humour. He is a companion for all those moments, in which one does not know where to turn and prefers to rather be invisible for the whole world. MISTER HORACEK playfully inivites dialogue, pops up, goes into hiding again and makes his vis-à-vis laugh. And cheerfulness is what we all could need right now.
Even Nikolaus Habjan, well known director and puppeteer, remarks: „This is a puppet well done!”
SHOP
Museum Gugging
Nikolaus Habjan
Rudolf Horacek, “Rudolf Horacek in Mannswörth”, 1984
acrylic on wood, 186,6 x 140,5 cm
private foundation – artist from Gugging
photo: private foundation – artist from Gugging
