William Reinsch
Born 1994, Essex, England. An introvert painting from darkness. Kubrick as his main inspiration. Author of "Naked Island."
I spent a long time thinking about how to begin this text. I wanted to describe the emotions, the stories, the words that come to mind when I look at the work of William Reinsch. And I couldn't do it neatly. Which is probably the point.
William Reinsch's painting stirs a wide range of emotions in me, most of which I cannot fully put into words. Turpism meets the grotesque, horror meets mystery. The paintings repel… and pull you in at the same time. The riddle of what happened on Naked Island screams to be solved.
And yet it has no solution. Or rather: everyone has the right to their own.
Dead bodies, female and male figures caught in unnatural poses, expressions, grimaces. In Reinsch's art you can hear echoes of his masters, including Justin Mortimer. This is what is sometimes called disturbing art.
The portraits — especially the self-portraits — carry more emotional weight than seems possible on such a small surface. Then there are the almost terrifying sheep against a bleak landscape. Which brings us to… the landscapes.
I don't know lucid dreaming techniques. But I do remember those flashes of awareness inside dreams, especially the unpleasant ones: "Oh God, this must be a nightmare, I need to wake up." William's landscapes remind me of those exact split seconds. Looking at them — and at his figurative work — I want to wake up from this nightmare. But you can't wake up from this one. They are still there.
Technically, the artist achieved a great deal as a self-taught painter. He is now studying at an academy, but even before that his craft was highly proficient. William knows exactly what he wants to achieve and how he wants to do it. And he does it in unconventional ways. These are not the safe, standard techniques taught by formulaic online tutorials.
William Reinsch usually paints on a slick surface: aluminium panels. A respected but uncommon support. His paintings are made with loose, confident brushstrokes. No "licking" — no blending a mark into oblivion. The ability to resist overworking a painting is a very rare talent.
And finally: the impasto. The painter practically sculpts with paint. But not everywhere — with restraint, with instinct. William can convey emotion and meaning through the texture of a brushstroke alone, left standing in a thick layer of paint. The way the first self-portrait is finished also carries that strong sense of unreality, of unease.
Interview
Who are you privately? What were you doing for the first 18 years of your life before you grabbed a paintbrush? What do you enjoy doing apart from painting?
I had a pretty sheltered upbringing. I was a quiet and nervous kid. I still am to some degree although I've had enough practice at this point to integrate well enough although I still have my blind spots. I spent most of my childhood gaming, living a digital life. Then when I was a teenager I got into skateboarding, drinking and smoking. I did always have a passion for drawing but up until 18 it was really just superheroes or silly drawings to make my friends laugh.
Tell us about the "Naked Island" series. Or rather — tell us how you see it now, what you think of it. In your interview with artit.net you mentioned you wanted to complete it by June 2025. Is it definitely done? Any plans for a new series?
I forgot I had written that I was going to wipe my hands of it all by June. I sometimes contradict myself. I'm trying to get better at that. Right now, I don't think I have even fully started to realize the possibilities of what Naked Island could be. I have some new ideas I've been sitting on. I am starting some of those paintings now. I have a collage ready for a big ambitious piece I hope to have finished next year for my MA show.
You mentioned the series is inspired by, among other things, the computer game "Silent Hill". Are you a gamer? If so, what are your favourites? And while we're at it — favourite films, directors?
I'm not much of a gamer any more. I don't have the time for it and I recognize how much of a distraction it really is. There are some games that I would consider great as a piece of art that I enjoyed for that reason. Silent Hill 2 especially. I also enjoyed the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption games, the Metal Gear Solid games and the Oddworld games. These are the rare few game series I found had real substance to them. As for films I am a big Kubrick fan, as obvious a pick as it is I think The Shining is the greatest work of art made over all mediums.
You paint from photographs and your own collages. Do you also paint from life, plein air? I'd also like to ask about practice — do you recognise any kind of exercises, learning, or do you spend all your time on your main works?
I have not painted from life. I am too used to painting from photographs and I have not been curious enough to want to try painting from life. When I'm outside in nature it really is enough for me, I don't feel a need to want to get an easel out to capture it.
How do you approach paintings that don't go in the right direction? Are there failed paintings? Do you abandon them, start again, or try to squeeze the maximum out of each panel?
I used to get very bad with that and destroy maybe half of the paintings I did. I probably only end up destroying a fifth of what I make now though which is a lot better! I think it's because I've improved since then.
Are you fully satisfied with your paintings? Does the artist's curse get you? I'm not asking about artist's block — I'm asking about a distorted perception of your own work. Something like not liking recordings of your own voice. Others like it, but the painter sees unfulfilled hopes. Does it get you too? If so, how do you deal with it?
Yeah, there are some paintings I feel I'm haunted by but then a couple of years later I'm proud of. I don't know if my paintings are any good until long after when I've had time to digest them. I've found more recently that I'm actually quite scared showing my paintings in shows especially if they are new because I have no idea what I've just put up on that wall. I honestly have no idea if it's good yet.
I have to ask — do you know any Polish painters? Have you ever been inspired by a Polish film, or other cultural works from our country?
Beksinski!
What is art?
I like what Picasso said: "Art is a lie that tells the truth."