Untitled 2019

Thomas Riesner created this Untitled artwork of unknown date using an expressive, gestural style on a 20 by 25 cm surface. The composition is dominated by bold black lines that construct skeletal figures against a stark white background, immediately evoking a sense of macabre. Splashes of red punctuate the monochrome, drawing the eye to areas of implied violence or intense emotion. Riesner’s approach to form involves an economy of line and shape, challenging traditional ideas about the human figure. The raw, almost primal, aesthetic suggests an engagement with existential themes—mortality, suffering, and the breakdown of conventional structures. The semiotic tension between the stark black and white and the violent red unsettles established meanings, pushing us to confront uncomfortable truths about existence. The use of line and color serves not only to depict but to challenge our perceptions, inviting us to delve deeper into the darker aspects of the human condition. This function is both aesthetically striking and philosophically provocative.