Francien Krieg - Unlearning gravity

Unlearning Gravity
40 × 60 cm, oil on panel, 2026

To the future owner,

The red background is not painted as a uniform flat color. Across the surface there are scraping marks, brushstrokes, and small gaps in which the underlying golden-yellow color of the panel remains visible. Around the edges these marks stand out more, making the red appear to tremble rather than stand still.
The body is also built from varying shades. Underneath the warm skin lie greens, grays, pinks, and earth tones that are not fully worked away. Especially in the face, the chest, and the dark hair the paint is more compact and pronounced. The arms are painted more loosely and therefore seem almost in motion.
A simple wall with enough space around it lets the red keep its full effect. In grazing light the scraping marks in the background and the thicker layers of paint around the face become visible. Under warm light the image becomes more corporeal; cool light brings forward the green and gray layers in the skin.
Unlearning Gravity is about letting go of an learned direction. The body seems to fall, float, or move upward—depending on how long you look. The figure does not resist the reversal, but tries to find a new relationship to its own weight. As if the body itself could relearn what above and below mean.

I paint the body at moments when the mask shifts. In old skin, young bodies, boxers, floating figures, and quiet portraits I search for vulnerability, strength, and the traces of time. My work is not about perfect beauty, but about the human moment when someone becomes visible, even if only briefly.

For those who enjoy not only seeing the final result but also the journey behind it, there is more to follow via @francienkrieg.

I gladly make portraits of young men and adolescents because there is something special visible in that life phase: a vulnerability that the world has not yet hardened. Their faces and bodies carry an ambiguity within them – they are not fully formed yet, but full of promise and possibilities. It is precisely that in-between moment that interests me: no longer a child, not yet a man. In that transition lies a beauty I want to capture, the openness of what can still be and the fragile realization that this stage lasts only a short time.

All series – from self-portraits and aging bodies to young male boxers, women at sunset, and intimate scenes with cats – can be found on my website, where you can also read more about my background and motivations:
www.francienkrieg.com

I work exclusively with high-quality materials: professionally prepared linen or smooth panels, and top-quality oil paint, rich in pigment. Each work is made with care and dedication – meant to endure, not only in material terms but also in meaning.