William Reinsch

Born in 1994 in Essex, England—where the artist continues to work and reside—William Reinsch is a contemporary painter best known for his haunting landscapes, yellow skin tones, and exquisite brushstrokes. Reinsch’s paintings, most often small in scale, are marked by their psychological impact, exploring both universal topics as well as the artist’s own psyche.

Recurring motifs throughout the artist’s oeuvre are yellow nude figures, spray-painted sheep, and foggy landscapes. Elements that struck the artist strongly and unconsciously, making them not simply a set of artistic choices, but posing questions about the artist’s own psychology. These elements have been key the past four years, as Reinsch has been working on a series titled Naked Island—an attempt to create a fictional world in a similar vein to the video game series “Silent Hill” or the TV show “Twin Peaks”.

William Reinsch: “Perhaps the fog is a very straightforward representation of my unconscious. Maybe the yellow nude figures represent unwanted attention. The spray-painted sheep; I still haven’t a clue. I hope in time, as I let these ideas live themselves out and lead me as unconsciously as I can rationally let them, in which this place I call the “Naked Island” reveals some deeper truths behind its fog.”

Notions of anxiety, melancholy, the human condition, and an omnipresent menacing atmosphere enable the small paintings on panel to have a very profound impact on the viewer. His work can be very confrontational when engaging with these vulnerable, tormented human figures—as if we are confronted with a side of humanity, we consciously forget or suppress. Yet, on Naked Island, there is no escaping from this unpleasant truth when it looks the beholder straight in the eye.