Ralf Altrieth - Sans titre - XL

Acrylic and aerosol on heavy, ivory-toned paper
105 x 75 cm or 100 x 70 cm (without the margins)

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

DESCRIPTION:

This original work on paper by Ralf Altrieth unfolds a world populated by figures and characters that appear, overlap, and transform before the eye. Some seem recognizable, others remain deliberately undefined. Yet all seem to possess their own character, as if they belonged to a world whose rules they alone knew.

Spontaneous lines, flat areas, and touches of color mingle in a dense composition, where the gesture remains clearly visible. The spray adds a fine, granular, almost tactile texture to the surface, contrasting with the bolder lines and flat areas of the drawing.

Between free figuration, instinctive drawing, and graphic poetry, the work does not seek to tell a precise story. It rather allows the imagination to establish its own associations. The gaze travels from one creature to another, discovers a face, a silhouette, or an unexpected detail, then returns to the whole, which seems to recombine with each observation.

Framed with a wide mat, it takes on its full dimension and leaves a breathing space around it that emphasizes the richness of the drawing. At once expressive, mysterious, and playful, it brings a singular artistic presence to a contemporary interior, never reducing itself to a mere decorative effect.

At the boundary between drawing and painting, this series bears witness to a deeply personal language of Ralf Altrieth: a world in perpetual metamorphosis, where a few lines are enough to give rise to an entire world.

CRITIQUE:

"There is a lot of poetry in this painting, as in all the artist's works. They are populated with narrative codes and fantastical tales. In this sense, the pictorial poems of Ralf Altrieth are a pure childish chant... But the most astonishing thing that manifests in these paintings is a tender communicative sensitivity to the states of mind of the human being."
— Dr. Friedhelm Häring, museum director and art historian

"His gesture-and-color-writing describes a world open to new voices and experiences never attempted. His canvases and works on paper demonstrate that painting remains a major expression of the contemporary scene."
— Laurent Puech, art historian and curator

BIOGRAPHY:

Ralf Altrieth (Heilbronn, 1966) is a Franco-German painter and musician, recognized for his expressive and spontaneous universe, at the border of figuration and abstraction. Trained in his teens with painter Georg Schaible and then at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nürtingen at the end of the 1980s, his work is distinguished by rare pictorial energy and a particularly sensitive language. His works are today included in numerous private collections around the world.

SHIPPING:

The work will be shipped rolled in a sturdy tube to ensure secure transport.
It is entrusted to an express carrier delivering to the home, with full tracking and signature upon delivery, to guarantee the best protection of the work until it is handed over.

NOTE ABOUT THE MARGINS:
There are two presentation options:
- With a mat: the outer margins of the paper will be hidden by the mat. Your local framer will handle this easily.
- Without a mat with a 100 × 70 cm frame (see display visuals): place the glass over the paper and cut back the margins with a cutter. A pencil line makes it easy to identify the limit.

Note: The display images are presentation suggestions produced with AI based on photos of the actual work. The photos of the real object are authoritative (the whole work, close-up details, and the signature on the back). Tints may vary slightly depending on your screen’s color profile.