Joseph Rethlin

From photography to painting. Art has always been present in my life, as a collector, as a dealer and then the desire to be in front of the blank canvas became stronger, I took the plunge.
"At first there was one fish, then two, then flowers, fruits, vegetables, and finally men."
Joseph Rethlin is my artist name.

"Joseph Rethlin is a contemporary French painter whose artistic universe explores memory, light, and emotion through expressive and deeply instinctive painting. A former collector and art dealer, he turned to painting later in life. His work is primarily focused on contemporary still life, while also including portraiture.

His painting is distinguished by rich and vibrant textures, built through layering, relief, and spontaneous gestures, giving each artwork a sensitive, textured, and almost organic presence. Between poetic abstraction and free figuration, he develops a personal pictorial language where texture, light, and color play a central role.

Joseph Rethlin’s universe is structured around recurring themes that have become his artistic signature: lemons, fish, flowers, and portraits inspired by the expressionist legacy of Mané-Katz. These recurring motifs function as visual symbols, carrying memory, spirituality, ...

Self-Taught