Neo Rauch

Galerie EIGEN + ART, Leipzig
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

“Coming up with the title is often an arduous process because my interest in the etymological roots of even the most banal expression leads me to sediment of meaning that occasionally send unexpected impetus to painterly intentions. Sometimes, however, a word is capable of triggering a picture! It can happen that a word develops an uncanny atmospheric vortex in the direction of a self-creating picture; I only have to help things fall into place. Such moments are precious and they bind me even closer to my own mother tongue because this is the only place where these kinds of experiences are possible.”

The artist cited in Exhibition Catalogue, Wolfsburg, Kunstmuseum, Neo Rauch: Neue Rollen, Paintings 1993 – 2006, 2007, p. 70

Born in Leibzig in 1960, Rauch’s formative years and artistic education were shaped by the social and political doctrines of the German Democratic Republic. With their subtly atmospheric pictorial language, his works invoke nostalgia for a vanished idyll of social unity, whilst exuding an overarching disillusion and apprehension towards the ineffectuality of both the Communist history of his past and the cultural ambitions of the Capitalist future.

Bürger alludes to this sentimental image both in its title and subject. Offering a glimpse into an outdated rural German town, the painting references past traditions with emotive resonance. The opalescent green hue of the flag and coat of the prominent male figure stands in bright contrast to the chalky colour scheme of the rest of the composition, its immediate prominence alluding to the visual imagery of wartime propaganda. Thematising the notion of citizenship within the borders of a reunified nation, Rauch addresses the universal question of identity, delicately delineating the manifold biography of his nation. His distinctive finesse and intrinsic sense of colour in creating a significant resuscitation of figurative painting is beautifully exemplified in Bürger. It presents the viewer with a unique historical quotation, full of sensitive detail and ironical verisimilitude.