603A Sunset - Friedensreich Hundertwasser

A 1966 woodcut print by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, featuring his signature organic forms, metallic inks, and a rhythmic, undulating sky above leaning architecture.

603A Sunset, created in 1966, is a woodcut print that demonstrates the unique visual language of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The composition is divided into two distinct zones: a lower section featuring a cluster of anthropomorphic, leaning buildings and an upper section dominated by a sweeping, undulating sky. The architecture is rendered with irregular, organic shapes, reflecting the artist's rejection of the straight line and his preference for forms found in nature. The sky is depicted as a series of layered, horizontal bands of colour that curve and flow like liquid. These bands transition from deep blues and greens to bright yellows, punctuated by sharp red lines that create a sense of rhythmic movement. The use of metallic inks, a hallmark of Hundertwasser's printmaking process, adds a reflective quality to the surface, shifting the appearance of the work depending on the angle of light. In the lower portion, the buildings are depicted with a sense of instability, their walls and roofs tilting at various angles. Each structure contains small, rectangular windows, some of which are filled with solid blocks of colour, suggesting interior light. The artist incorporates Japanese characters and his own personal seals into the composition, reflecting his deep interest in Eastern printmaking techniques and his desire to integrate diverse cultural influences into his work. The print is characterised by a high degree of saturation and a deliberate avoidance of traditional perspective, resulting in a flattened, decorative space that prioritises emotional expression over realistic representation. This work captures the artist's preoccupation with the relationship between human-made structures and the natural environment, presenting a vision of a world where the rigid geometry of urban life is softened by the fluid, unpredictable patterns of the cosmos.