Hundertwasser, Friedensreich

Friedensreich Hundertwasser first became known as a painter; his paintings are characterized by undulating brushstrokes, strong and bright colors, recurring spirals and golden onion domes and, above all, the lack of straight shapes. As a vehement opponent of the “straight line”, he also implemented this philosophy in the buildings he later designed; the artist would never have built a terraced house.

The cafés, residential buildings, churches and train stations designed by Hundertwasser in strong colors have uneven floors, crooked walls and uneven windows; colorful ceramic columns and gilded onion domes make the buildings appear imaginative and lively. Green roofs and trees that grow between the buildings and sometimes even out of them are evidence of the artist’s lifelong commitment to incorporating nature into architecture. Because nature doesn’t know straight lines, too!