The cross has been the defining motif in the oeuvre of the influential Austrian artist since the 1950s, appearing in all his formal experiments and variations. As a fundamental element of his expressive repertoire, it provides a framework through which he can tackle various questions and challenges in painting. As a fixed geometric pattern, it forms a counterpoint to all the painterly and gestural movement of his overpainting. Naturally, the cross is always a general theme with deep cultural roots. As a central motif of the Christian belief, it has often been used as a striking target to illustrate criticism. At the same time, it also stands for deep faith, self-sacrifice, and contemplative absorption.
Arnulf Rainer's variations of the cross are not ostensibly “Christian” art. Yet, with their gravity and uncompromising nature, they resemble altarpieces in which the painter seeks to explore the fundamental questions of human existence. He states, “The cross has become my basic motif. I cannot think of anything else that challenges me so much and drives me to work hard and diligently, so I keep revisiting it.” The cross presents him with ever-new challenges.

The painted cross offered here is precise and slender. The overpainting culminates in a deep black. The underlying layers of green, blue, red, and yellow are only visible in the dripping traces flowing downwards and in the green-blue paintwork in the short bar rising at the top. The haptic formulation of the color structure, in which the act of painting is still discernible, is particularly effective here. In the broadest sense, the black is reminiscent of a suit. At the same time, white is defined by broad finger painting, as Arnulf Rainer has been incorporating it into his oeuvre since 1973, in the area of a potential collar. A small black crucifix is painted on the wooden cross at the height of an imagined breast pocket. It forms the quiet center of this composition, which perfectly represents the wide range of possible interpretations. In 1997, Hermann Nitsch summed it up aptly: “[...] through rainer, the cross is recreated and brought to its most extreme expressiveness on a pictorial surface.” [EH]