Hermann Rastorfer: Lebenslinien

About

From September 9, 2022, a representative overview of Hermann Rastorfer's work will be on display at the Kunstforum Wien, following his successful museum exhibition in Salzburg. Hermann Rastorfer (Salzburg, 1930–2009) was an admired Austrian artist and influential designer. The retrospective will contrast his artistic work with his modern designs, which have shaped the German advertising landscape from the 20th century to the present day. Many of his iconic designs are still in use today.

The work of Hermann Rastorfer can be seen as a universal talent of the Renaissance. He was a painter, draftsman, sculptor, inventor, architect and graphic artist. Preferring independence over financial security, he carved his path to success through passion and a firm belief that the world is a theater of miracles to be accomplished. In 1958, Eberhard Hölscher wrote about the then 28-year-old Hermann Rastorfer in the monthly magazine for the promotion of artistic advertising: "He may be extremely critical of his own work, but he is one of those original talents that came about less from rational considerations than from an instinctive feeling for the go right out to their work". This was true all his life.

Hermann Rastorfer learned the trade of typesetter from 1945 to 1949, which taught him many of the skills that were to form the basis for his later work in advertising. From 1948 to 1962 he received commissions for illustrations for the Salzburger Nachrichten. At the same time, he began to paint and draw. Some of his early work was shown in a 1949 group exhibition at the famous Galerie Welz in Salzburg, which was founded in 1899. Hermann Rastorfer wrote in 2008: "I was ultimately supposed to tie my further artistic development to Welz. But that wasn't my goal. At that time, the realization grew that a "free" artist could not be so free."

Hermann Rastorfer's artistic inspiration goes back to antiquity with timeless themes such as Greek mythology, but also challenges cultural history with Mozart. The depiction of human anatomy was also a subject he tirelessly approached, in a classic way with the Ecce Homo study, but also with contemporary influences such as the skulls of Jean-Michel Basquiat. His artistic output was passionate and prolific and is described by contemporary art historians as authentic and unique in its form. dr Christiane Vielhaber, a renowned art critic and author, stated in 2008: "If one understands expressionism as that form of artistic expression that turned the innermost part outwards and was able to express in the visible body shell what is hidden invisibly inside [...], then I don't hesitate for a moment to describe Hermann Rastorfer as an expressionist of a very individual kind and to praise him sincerely."

At Hermann Rastorfer, the boundaries between art and design are fluid, both areas of activity are in constant dialogue with each other. In 1954 he founded his own advertising agency and very quickly established himself as a key figure in the industry. His designs were celebrated for their clear conception with overarching design elements. In fact, Rastorfer applied the principles of modern corporate design long before the term became established in Germany, an achievement recognized in several articles in the magazine Zwecksgraphik. He qualified visual marketing as: "We understand visual marketing as a comprehensive interaction of all factors that make a company and its product appear". Andreas Koop (designer and professor of typography and design) wrote a book about Hermann Rastorfer for Design Austria: "There will hardly be anyone who has not held a product designed by Rastorfer in their hands at least once in their life".

Some of his major projects were stamps for the Deutsche Bundespost, posters for the Deutsche Bundesbahn and the famous Volkswagen campaign with the slogan "One should have a VW!", which helped shape the company's image in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1950s and 1960s, small, affordable paperbacks with attractive cover designs revolutionized the book market and Rastorfer played a key role in shaping the appearance of this new type of book in German-speaking countries. Over the years he has created hundreds of covers for fiction and non-fiction for the publishers Ullstein, Fischer and Droemer Knaur. In the 1960s, Rastorfer also specialized in advertising and packaging design for pharmaceutical products and the food industry. For Boehringer Ingelheim, Studio Rastorfer successfully implemented an effective and timeless color-coding design that is still used on packaging today. For Ferrero, Rastorfer took a fresh approach to the extensive product range, giving Ferrero Küsschen his own geometric packaging he created, his own name and campaign identity.

During these successful years in marketing, Hermann Rastorfer's own artistic practice also flourished. Today his oil paintings and drawings are represented in many international collections. His bronze sculptures, following in the footsteps of Rodin and Maillol, give a raw and contemporary twist to the sculptural tradition, but are still focused on figuration. His sculptures can be seen in permanent exhibitions from Beijing to Salzburg. The Hermann Rastorfer exhibition at Kunstforum Wien honors the work of the artist, marketing professional and remarkable human being. His legacy in the world of commercial design continues to this day. However, what sets Hermann Rastorfer apart from his peers is his will to remain independent in his art, his vision and his devotion to beauty.