One of the most original artists of his generation, Neo Rauch's paintings appear disturbingly detached and yet familiar, their figures, objects, and mood seemingly borrowed from old advertising posters, dusty book jackets, and forgotten comics. Rauch's formulistic visual symbols suggest a more profound meaning, yet it is difficult to decipher their message. The tension lurking under their almost frozen surfaces, washed with dusky, sinister colors, is fueled by paradox: as vivid as the structure of the work comes across, the impression is rigid; as powerful as the strokes of broken colors are, they appear faded, from bygone times.