Vorarlberg, Bregenzerwald (A Guide Through Austria For Extraterrestrial Beings No. 8) 1965

Christian Attersee, an Austrian artist born in 1940, created this painting titled ‘Vorarlberg, Bregenzerwald (A Guide Through Austria For Extraterrestrial Beings No. 8)’ using oil on canvas. The artwork seems to parody landscape painting traditions. It depicts a figure being suspended upside down over a mountain range. Made in Austria, the painting’s title references a specific region, the Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg, suggesting Attersee's exploration of Austrian identity and its projection to outsiders. The artist creates a visual code that distorts our understanding of place. Is this a commentary on Austria's place in the world? Is the artist challenging the conventions of landscape art? The title suggests a guide for extraterrestrials. The visual language is deliberately strange, as though challenging the idea of a stable, knowable national identity. To fully grasp Attersee's intent, we could examine Austria's cultural policies and art institutions of the time, as well as the artist's personal history. The value of art resides in its capacity to engage with its social context.