THE ROSE KING 1984

Ernst Fuchs created “The Rose King” with oil on wood, a technique reminiscent of early Renaissance panel paintings. The surface is built up with precise brushwork, and is set within a custom frame that acts as an extension of the artwork itself. Fuchs was fascinated by the Old Masters, but also by the esoteric. It is tempting to think of him here as a latter-day alchemist, searching for a way to transform base materials into something transcendent. Consider how he has deployed the paint - richly applied, jewel-toned, and with incredible attention to detail. In doing so, Fuchs clearly revels in the sheer laborious process of image-making. It is this labor that gives the work its mesmerizing effect. Fuchs’s knowledge of materials, combined with the way he puts them to use, creates a visionary image that resonates across time. It suggests that all making is a form of knowledge, and all knowledge a kind of making.