RAINER FETTING (B. 1949)

“In Desmond‘s case and with my earlier nudes, I tried somehow to connect to painting traditions - to the Brücke painters, or later on, for example, to the painting of abstract expressionism – but then I would introduce the figurative again. The nude has always been an important theme in painting throughout the centuries. For me the image-aesthetic has always interested me the most - I don‘t know if aesthetic is the right word. Clothes as covering - you portray that in fashion history. Do I want to portray the fashion of the day, or do I want to show the person and concentrate much more on his nakedness. A naked body has a high degree of abstraction and it is fascinating to translate this into painting.” (R. FETTING, quoted in Rainer Fetting – Paintings and Sculptures, exh. cat., Galerie Herold, Hamburg, 2014, p. 6)