Seinesgleichen Geschieht (The Like of It Now Happens)

Richard Burton

Info: The second chapter title from The Man Without Qualities is translated as: The Like of It Now Happens. This curious yet banal expression suggests how we might approach Burton’s paintings. Musil’s main character, Ulrich, is described as keenly analytic and always at a slight distance from the world around him. His attitude finds its echo in Burton’s paintings, where we see waiting areas, office workplaces or lonely vehicle interiors, all primed with a feeling of boredom. But they are disturbingly beautiful in their appearance, and seductive in mood. Seinesgleichen (a Musil term) hints at the systems and rules underpinning our reality — a majestic power towards which we feel distant. I think of painting as a form of world-building, connected to writers such as Philip K. Dick and David Foster Wallace. There is an element of aspirational living in my imagery, which I blend with traces of sci-fi, reaching towards a kind of numb, restrained longing. (…) – Richard Burton