Michael Rittstein is a passionate observer who records what he sees in thousands of drawings. Any experiance, however seemingly ordinary, might inspire him to depict local stories in his paintings. If he isn´t traveling, he spends every day working in his studio: In the summer he paints in his family home in the Bohemian Forrest; in the winter at his apartment in Prague housing estate. He doesn´t own a car and enjoys being among people. His sources of inspiration include public transportation, swimming pools, rural pubs, and human dwellings. His works are suffused with the serenity of the countryside and the pulsating atmosphere of the big city. Hidden in his expressive paintings, pushed to the edge of absurdity by grotesque hyperbole, we find observations on the complexity of interpersonal relationships. (Petr Mach)

Photo: © Zdeněk Zrůst