Friedensreich Hundertwasser's ink drawing of 1998 (above) reflects his long standing philosophy regarding human being's five layers of skin. His structuring of these layers, and utilization of them, gave poignant clarity to his messages of social and environmental justice.
The first layer is our physical skin (epidermis), followed by our clothing, house, social identity and the earth. Hundertwasser continuously made specific references to the layers in his art and manifestos. He stripped himself of his second skin (clothing) in order to give a radical nude speech on the third skin (architecture) in 1967.
Arguably, Hundertwasser's most important work is his architectural ideas and constructions. Mostly interested in spirals and labyrinths, as well as the presence of trees and nature within the city and the house, Hundertwasser declared straight lines to be immoral. Hundertwasser's last design (completed just after his death in 2000), the Waldspirale in Damstadt (below), exemplifies his interest in the integration of nature and architecture, as well as the layering of our existence.
References:
Restany, Pierre. Hundertwasser: The Painter King with the Five Skins. Taschen, 1998.
Art:
The Five Skins of Man, ink drawing, 1998, Vienna
Waldspirale (forest spiral), Darmstadt, Germany
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