thomas reheisser

« My encounter with Thomas could have taken place in front of a painting by Christophe Holder or during a baroque guitar concert. Fate decided otherwise. It was before 'The Man with the Bare Torso,' offering a gaunt profile, that our eyes met and we exchanged words for the first time. » – Lionel Bamond, writer  

 

Thomas Reheisser was born in 1977 in Mulhouse, Alsace. After working as a designer for TexUnion collections, he resumed his studies and has since been teaching music at the conservatory. His meeting with Christophe Holder was a turning point: the artist picked up his brushes again after many years to express what lies deep within him. His works captivate with their heightened power, technical maturity, and compositional strength. The first impression of the audience is telling—this is a talented artist.  

Thomas Reheisser’s new series seems to breathe life into ancient forms and textures. At first, his paintings invite the eye to wander, searching for meaning in the overlapping layers. Then, as if adjusting to a cloud of smoke, figures emerge—fragments of a lost and buried harmony. These figures resemble Greek statues, those that withstand the erosion of time within sacred yet damaged temples. The painter’s gesture becomes that of an « ART-chaeologist », revealing treasures submerged in darkness, as if his brush were that of an excavator. Through this delicate unveiling, granite-like faces appear—solid yet mesmerizing.  

Every pigment laid down by the brush holds its own temporality, its own story, its own geological depth. The initial darkness gives way to a luminous obscurity, as if these bodies had been forgotten until Thomas Reheisser unearthed them, leaving them partially veiled. Each layer of paint marks a precise moment, an era, to be "excavated" like sand and earth that have buried a world still alive, still present.

These shades of gray escape the binary of black and white; instead of being drawn to colors, one is captivated by textures and reliefs. The Greek statue re-emerges as a model of an ancient harmony—never lost, always ready to restore the memory of Thomas Reheisser’s creative gesture. The Muses undoubtedly linger nearby, accompanying the « ART-chaeological » work of an artist in search of rediscovered wisdom and balance.  

Without nostalgia or regression, these ancient figures seem to return to offer their strength and suppleness, their mystery and light. Once the eye delves into the profound textures of this series, these statuary bodies remain imprinted on the viewer’s retina, evoking a sense of fulfillment and regained equilibrium—the initial unease giving way to the perfect softness of sculpted granite.  

Thomas Reheisser’s work seeks to establish a connection with the past without falling into pastiche, preserving what in the world and in nature should remain immutable and untouched. His series of neo-antique paintings embarks on a journey into the timeless, profoundly contemporary in an era yearning for splendor and grandeur.