Ralf Altrieth - Nächstenliebe - XXXL

There are works that we look at. And others in which we step inside.

This painting by Ralf Altrieth belongs to the second category.

Here, the painting does not tell a story: it puts the gaze in motion.

The gaze circulates without ever truly settling. Shapes appear, transform, disappear. Nothing is imposed; everything is built in relation to the viewer.

"What is directly visible matters less to me than what can happen when looking. This is how I bring my paintings to life, from the very first brushstroke." — Ralf Altrieth

The dense, vibrant, almost mineral colors act like living matter. The lines are free and incisive; they emerge like instinctive writing, close to a musical gesture — Ralf Altrieth is also a saxophonist, so this rhythmic dimension runs through all of his work.

But it is mainly the scale that transforms the experience. With its 200 cm of width, this painting does not merely adorn a wall: it structures the space, immediately captures attention, and continues to reveal details over time. Depending on light and distance, the reading changes, renews itself, deepens.

Each painting by Ralf Altrieth develops a unique universe: this one stands out for its energy in constant transformation, where forms emerge, overlay, and reinvent themselves in a vibrant balance between tension and freedom.

It speaks to those who seek expressive and lively painting that does not exhaust itself over time. It never fully reveals itself. With every look, new forms emerge, new connections appear. It is a painting with which one lives — and which keeps evolving.

Works of this intensity and this format, rare on the market, hold a special place in Ralf Altrieth’s body of work. They are sought after for their ability to transform a space and to assert themselves as an anchor within an environment.

It is a work that is never perceived at a single glance, one that you keep rediscovering, and this is precisely where its strength lies.

CRITIQUE ET PRESSE:
The art historian and museum director Dr. Friedhelm Häring writes about Ralf Altrieth’s work (excerpt):

"In this sense, the pictorial poems of Ralf Altrieth are a pure childish chant. From the crucible of improvisation he summons a pristine world made of spontaneous joys and strong impulses... But the most astonishing thing manifested in these canvases is a communicative tenderness for the states of mind of the human being."

The writer Bernard Pignero (excerpt):
"There is in Ralf Altrieth’s painting a generosity with its own language, vivid and colorful, without turning color into a creed, funny without aiming for caricature, joyful without idealism, energetic without being thunderous, in short a profoundly human language."

The journalist Stéphane Cerri (excerpt):
"The eye must bounce, cling, detach; it is drawn by color, by the energy of the gesture, by the strange cohabitations, by the musical rhythms of jazz where Ralf Altrieth also thrives as a saxophonist, a proponent of improvisation."

DETAILS:
Oil, spray paint, pastels and oilstick on canvas, 2019

Thick canvas, professional quality

200 × 200 cm

Unique work, hand-painted
Excellent condition

Signed and dated on the back by the artist
Certificate of authenticity signed by the artist

Photos are taken in natural light, as faithfully as possible to the true hues. The lifestyle visuals help appreciate the dimensions and the painting’s physical presence. Proportions are preserved.

SHIPPING:
The canvas is shipped rolled, carefully protected in a sturdy tube to ensure safe transport.
The indicated dimensions refer to the work once mounted on a frame. The canvas includes additional white margins to facilitate easy re-stretching. The buyer can entrust this task to their local framer.