Schubert’s figurative works in mixed media are just as representative of his graphic oeuvre as his landscapes in mixed media. Here, too, Schubert develops his own visual language comprised of dynamic strokes, accumulations of lines, contrasts between black and white, overpainting, and a pointed physicality in order to reflect the vital forces that, as in nature, are also in constant motion within human beings. Schubert employs his keen powers of observation and his skills in drawing and painting to visualise the intense emotions that arise within the tension between power and powerlessness.

He addresses human hubris and madness in the two triptychs ‘Guatemala I-III’ and ‘Trophy I-III’. In short, Schubert makes the myriad layers of human existence perceptible in his figurative drawings – often with unsparing directness.

Schubert’s nude figures clearly transcend the conventional poses used in nude painting. In engaging with them, the viewer becomes enmeshed in human abysses and transience, but also in the beauty of sensual existence.

Triptychs “Guatemala”
and “Trophies”

The energetic style of the figure drawings reaches its climax in the two triptychs. In a single burst of turmoil, ink strokes, red and black paint are thrown onto the surface of a picture that is enlarged and retouched during the rapid painting process, creating disturbing images of a painful death struggle. The title ‘Guatemala, 1979’ refers to the mass suicide of members of a sect in Latin America in 1978.

However, the precise date of origin suggests an immediate, emotionally charged occasion for this artistic exploration.

The title ‘Trophies I – III’ refers to inhumane practices throughout history. Like the monumental equestrian portraits in oils, both triptychs can be interpreted as symbols of the unspeakable aspects of human existence.

Guatemala I-III, 1979
Mischtechnik auf Papier, je 88 x 120 cm, Museum der Moderne, Salzburg

Trophäe I-III, 1980
Mischtechnik auf Papier, je 120 x 190 cm, Museum der Moderne, Salzburg