Untitled (Face Farce) 1971

Curator: This unsettling photograph is titled "Untitled (Face Farce)," created by Arnulf Rainer in 1971. Editor: My initial reaction is one of immediate discomfort. The composition feels almost violent, with that heavy black shape bisecting the face. What kind of materials did Rainer use? Curator: As far as materials, it appears to be a manipulated or overpainted photograph, blurring the line between objective documentation and subjective expression. This kind of defacement calls to mind familiar religious and historical images where iconoclasts attempted to eradicate particular visual symbols. Editor: That is interesting, because I'm also thinking about the process. Was this about the deliberate deconstruction of the photographic image? It is an obliteration. I find it challenging to think about consumption, especially regarding photographs, given its history as an easily-reproduced art form. But Rainer disrupts that repeatability here by attacking his source. Curator: I agree. The distortions, though, go beyond mere defacement. The layering, the obscuring—it's as if he's trying to reveal something hidden beneath the surface of the self-portrait. The "farce" in the title is critical; in that respect, he almost turns his own likeness into a tragicomic mask. It plays with how much a portrait reveals or hides. Editor: Yes, and I'm compelled to examine that obscuring element even more closely. It's intriguing to consider what this photograph looked like originally before these… gestures were made. Perhaps by scratching and marring the image, Rainer seeks a means to arrive at some sort of more fundamental "truth"? Curator: Possibly, in an attempt to expose the constructed nature of identity. In a world increasingly mediated by images, he presents us with a distorted reflection, prompting us to question the very act of seeing. The distortions become more significant, as the material alterations emphasize emotional turmoil. Editor: Indeed. Rainer's "Face Farce," leaves us with a striking sense of alienation. I can't stop thinking about the sheer manual labor in obliterating one’s own image! Curator: A lasting reminder of how images, even photographic ones, become embedded with symbolic power, challenging our perceptions.