Neo Rauch is a contemporary German artist whose illustrative paintings are characterized by their uncanny imagery and ambiguous handling of forms. In depicting both industrial and natural landscapes, spatial relationships fluctuate wildly, with figures caught in states of transformation and movement. While Rauch himself hesitates to classify his paintings as Surrealist, he acknowledges the influence of dreams and imagination. “I have to provide it [the painting] with everything it needs to be viable—a functioning circulation system, a support structure that keeps it in balance in relation to gravity, and so on,” he explained of his process. “The painting’s personnel automatically embrace these efforts; my figures...