Alone with the reading, amidst pages of drawings, shapes, figures - how to begin?
Simply allowing our view to
rest on space, shapes and figures, which create - clearly and precisely
defined - such unusual harmony for our mind and eyes? Which are solid like a rock, making even the time
stopping forever, which rushes and passes so
short-winded and breakable.
Can we trust our own view
which suddenly appears to be relieved from injuries, released from distortion,
to which our eye finally has become accustomed – unnoticed, slowly resigning,
by habit?
Can we trust her knowing eyes, which can move, arrange, put in order,
differentiate clearly,
no cheap straining after effect, no importunity, but almost reverence?
Can we trust her?
Who is Hortensia Fussy? Can a
person be defined?
Or what is art? Can art be defined?
Do we need humans to define art or even art to define humans? What if we simply answered all these questions with Josef Beuys’ "extended concept of art", with the "fusion of art and life"?
When Beuys says, "every human is an artist", then this is not to be understood in that way that now every person is – or could be - a painter or sculptor. We must be careful not to interpret the "every human an artist " – quotation in a wrong way, however, it expresses that everybody possesses a potential in creativity including huge energy and power which one should realize and which one should use.
Hortensia Fussy not only
realized this creative spirit – she indeed became a painter, sculptress,
marvellous artist.
For Beuys, energy released from creativity is art itself. For me, just this strength transformed into sensuality from clay, stone, plaster and bronze stands in for Hortensia Fussy.
KR Mag. Susanne RANETZKY
Directress of the Austrian Cultural Forum Bratislava
Bratislava, March 2003