Gerhard Haderer: Jesus

The series Jesus's Life presented in several museums all over Europe is now exhibited in Budapest at last.

One of Haderer's favourite themes is the Catholic Church. The Austrian cartoonist has already caused himself hard times for long with this topic since he has often been reported due to his disparagement of religious dogmas. The series titled Jesus! aroused rather fiery debates among the Austrian Church. The head of the government, too, made his opinion heard in the matter; he talked about 'gutter cartoons'. The press eagerly jumped at the debate and made scandal out of the incident. Related to this, Haderer declared that 'Otherwise, my relation to Jesus - this historically existing or non-existent figure as well - has already been positive. Jesus did clever things; he was a social pseudo-revolutionist, who could show people how the state can be changed in a way that one can get on well with it, prsonally. I have no reason to speak evil of Jesus. Actually, those involved always respond the same way to my cartoons. The idiots try to cite me to court, and the intelligent ones invite me to dinner.'

Haderer's works finished rich in detail - that is characteristic of masters of the old times - depict everyday life with its every detail. His repertory of themes is quite wide; one of his favourite motives is the everyday person spending his/her free time. Haderer uses his descriptive virtuosity to show the numerous variants of craze for fitness and beauty, cell-phone addiction, holiday fashion and several further pleasures as well we people devote ourselves to with desperate conviction and persistent enthusiasm. Mostly, he signs his cartoons as Hades. Indeed, the diabolic lower regions are before the Austrian cartoonist's eyes. Haderer plays a diabolic game with his visitor. What was seen and lived through he can reproduce with such minute detail that creates desire to look around and fear at the same time. The devil hides in the details. Haderer's drawings hardened smooth as ice reveal human weakness and vanity with malice and airy ease.

The book based on his works presented in the Jesus exhibition was published by Orlandó Kiadó. The album is available at kArton Galéria.

In 1984 Gerhard Haderer (born in 1951) abandons poster designing, his activity until then; he destroys all his previous works and starts making critical, satirical drawings. His first publications appear in the satiric paper, in Watzmann, in ORF Ventil, in Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, then in Profil, in Trend and in Kurier; finally, it is the magazine Stern he makes drawings for. Nowadays Haderer is one of the best known cartoonists in the German speaking region.