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The painter Tribulaun
26.06.2020
Expressionism made in Obernberg
Ernst Mair, whose artist's name is "Tribulaun" and whose expressionist, colorful paintings are widely known, lives at the end of the valley from Obernberg towards Hinterenns. At the age of 91, he still paints every day in the studio of his home in Obernberg. During a visit, he talks about his eventful life.
Ernst Mair was born on August 25, 1928 in Wiesen in the South Tyrolean Pfitschertal valley as the first of three children. His parents came from a small farming background. Immediately after the birth of their first son, the family emigrated to the Obernbergtal valley in North Tyrol, where they acquired a small mountain farm. Like all children, he attended elementary school in Obernberg and his career aspirations were already clear at the age of 10: he wanted to become a painter. Even then, his passion was for art - which is why he was the first-born child to give up his parents' farm. At the time, this was almost a scandal and people said he was "just too lazy to work".
Where there's a will, there's a way
Ernst has lived for painting since his youth. At 16, he attended the Toni Kirchmayr private painting and drawing school in Innsbruck. He partly covered the costs of this training with the income from smuggling across the Italian border. "It's time-barred now," says the 91-year-old, "and besides, we only smuggled cows, silk, cigarettes, ski boot bindings and stuff like that. And if they caught you, you had to go to prison for a while." After two years at the private school in Innsbruck, the young artist applied to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. The entrance examination lasted a whole week and Ernst had to prove himself in all styles of painting. His talent was recognized and he was accepted into the academy on his first attempt.
During his time as a student in Vienna, he had to get by on very little, but in winter he was able to earn some extra money as a ski instructor on the Sattelberg in Gries. It was not until he was 30 that "Tribulaun" sold his first painting. It was a custom-made work for the then landlord of the "Wilder Mann" hotel in Steinach. Some of his works still hang there today. More and more people saw his paintings and he received more commissions. From this point on, he was also able to make a living from his art. In other Wipptal Valley hotels, such as the Aktivhotel zur Rose or Almi's Berghotel, you can also discover some of his works on the walls.
Living where it's most beautiful
After studying in Vienna, Ernst traveled the world - living in Paris, Berlin and Canada. However, he was always drawn back to his home in Obernberg, where he planned and had a modern house built for himself at the end of the valley around 45 years ago. "If I had wanted to build the house in the middle of the valley, the mayor would probably never have approved it. The architectural style was very modern and extravagant for the time!" He still lives in the small house today, which is also his studio. He owes his artist's name to his favorite mountain, the Tribulaun, which can be seen from his window in an imposing manner.
A unique style
Ernst Mair describes his painting style as "Expressionism" - he does not have a more precise definition. He drew a lot of inspiration from landscapes or things he had seen, but basically they are mostly partial or complete fantasy landscapes in very bright colors and with a kind of line painting. His style is often described as "colorful and positive". Ernst also painted many interesting portraits in this technique, which became very well known, such as a South Tyrolean landlady. At the age of 91, Ernst still paints for about two hours a day. It takes him about 15 hours of work spread over a few weeks to complete a painting. His eyes are still perfect, he doesn't even need glasses. I asked him where he gets his motivation from. "It's just in me, I can't help it," he replies. I hope it stays that way for a few more years...
TIP: There are paintings by the painter Tribulaun on his doorstep at the end of the Obernberg valley in both summer and winter. If you are interested in a work of art, you can stop by directly on site.
