Tatowiert II (red) by Thomas Lange is a mixed media piece from 1984 that combines painted photography with expressive watercolor and ink elements. The artwork features a central, ghostly figure that appears tattooed, partially obscured and surrounded by abstract forms in vibrant reds, yellows, and blues. A stylized animal, possibly a dog or horse, is layered over the composition, adding a surreal dimension to the work. The energetic brushstrokes and splashes of color create a dynamic interplay between the figure and abstract elements, evoking themes of identity, body art, and the layered complexity of self-expression. Lange’s technique blends realism with abstraction, challenging viewers to interpret the connections between the personal and the fantastical.
Thomas Lange (Germany, 1957) is a neo-expressionist painter known for merging abstraction and figuration. A key figure in the 'Neue Wilde' movement in 1980s West Berlin, his works are influenced by Italian Renaissance art and explore themes of struggle and mortality. Lange divides his time between Berlin and Italy.
Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.
Tatowiert II (red) by Thomas Lange is a mixed media piece from 1984 that combines painted photography with expressive watercolor and ink elements. The artwork features a central, ghostly figure that appears tattooed, partially obscured and surrounded by abstract forms in vibrant reds, yellows, and blues. A stylized animal, possibly a dog or horse, is layered over the composition, adding a surreal dimension to the work. The energetic brushstrokes and splashes of color create a dynamic interplay between the figure and abstract elements, evoking themes of identity, body art, and the layered complexity of self-expression. Lange’s technique blends realism with abstraction, challenging viewers to interpret the connections between the personal and the fantastical.
Thomas Lange (Germany, 1957) is a neo-expressionist painter known for merging abstraction and figuration. A key figure in the 'Neue Wilde' movement in 1980s West Berlin, his works are influenced by Italian Renaissance art and explore themes of struggle and mortality. Lange divides his time between Berlin and Italy.
Whoever does not forget the past looks to the future.
- Thomas Lange
Thomas Lange is a neo-expressionist painter whose works are “poised between abstraction and figuration”. Berlin-born Lange has been influenced by his youthful participation in the Neue Wilde (Young Wild) unconventional underground art movement in West Berlin during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His work typically avoids, however, strictly avant-garde limits or requirements, and reflects the Italian visual culture of artists such as Lippi, Masolino, and Masaccio. Lange often works concurrently with his own personal experiences, art history, and current events. His painting process includes research, investigating the meaning of images, and the physical and mental acts of painting. He has created family portraits to use as symbolic figures in idiosyncratic dreamscapes. He has used musical notation and instruments as subject matter in the cubism and vivid, clear colors of Music of Motivation (acrylic on linen canvas). Lange’s works range from large installations in mixed media filling expansive spaces. Lange lives and works in Berlin and Italy.
Sometimes known as Figurativism, figurative art refers to sculptures and paintings that are clearly or specifically derived from real objects, making them representational. The term figurative art is often used in contrast to abstract art. However, since the emergence of abstract art, figurative art has come to describe any form of modern art that has strong references to the real world or actual situations.