Untitled 2019

Curator: Thomas Riesner created this untitled ink drawing in 2019. The bold lines and raw energy are quite striking, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely! My first reaction is a kind of visceral discomfort. The crude figures, the drips, the suggestion of violence... it's deeply unsettling. It brings to mind the idea of power imbalances, specifically how they’re perpetrated. Curator: The composition certainly contributes to that. Notice the hierarchical arrangement – one figure towering over the others, almost enthroned upon them. Consider also the use of line; it’s not just descriptive, it’s expressive. See how the varying thickness and direction create tension? Editor: Precisely. And I’d also point out the use of color. The stark contrast between the blood red and the muted grays and blacks. It's an injection of trauma. Think about what red represents in different social contexts - blood, of course, but also danger, warning, and rage. The blue worn by the dominant figure provides another layer of political suggestion. Curator: It is interesting how those three tones carry so much of the piece's affect. The seeming spontaneity is deliberate. We should acknowledge that within Expressionism, this "naïve" style, particularly as a commentary, actually aligns it with practices of transgression. The ink as a medium also allows for a fascinating immediacy – there's little room for error, so each mark feels incredibly potent. Editor: It reminds me, too, of abject art—art that explores themes of degradation and repulsion, forcing us to confront the darker aspects of human experience. Think about artists like Paul McCarthy, who used similar raw aesthetics to challenge social norms and power structures. Curator: I can see the connection to McCarthy's abject aesthetic, but Riesner employs a more streamlined, almost graphic style, and his color scheme also is restricted to just those few distinct tones. Editor: Restriction in service of impact is powerful, certainly. I'm left thinking about who this figure represents and how such expressions might relate to trauma both inflicted and endured. Curator: The tension between that visceral immediacy and the symbolic arrangement is something I’ll continue to contemplate, especially concerning the act of witnessing power in this raw style. Editor: For me, it reinforces the power of art to expose the hidden or overlooked dimensions of our social and psychological realities.