IMAGE:27 2019

Thomas Riesner made IMAGE:27 using paint on a 30 x 20 cm surface, and what strikes me is the directness, a kind of intuitive mark-making that feels unburdened. There's a raw energy in the way the black paint is applied, thick and bold, creating these figures atop the glowing, fiery core. The palette is reduced, elemental almost, with the intense yellow and red pushing through the dark outlines. Look at the way the paint bleeds and pools, especially around the central form; it’s like the whole image is still in the process of becoming. It feels like a world being born, or maybe consumed. This piece reminds me of the work of Forrest Bess, another artist who delved into personal mythologies and expressed them through a unique visual language. Both artists share a commitment to exploring inner worlds, letting the process guide the final form, embracing ambiguity over certainty.