Michael Triegel (*1968) is among the most important representatives of the New Leipzig School. Along with landscape sketches, still lifes and portraits, it is principally mythological and religious subjects that bear witness to his very individual, multi-faceted idiom in the style of the great masters of the Italian Renaissance.

In 2010, the artist's reputation as a master of portraiture prompted the diocese of Regensburg to commission an official portrait of Pope Benedict XVI from Michael Triegel. Born in Erfurt and a graduate of the College of Graphics and Book Art in Leipzig, Triegel did sketches for a portrait during a Papal general audience in Rome, and the portrait will be unveiled to the public during an exhibition of his works in Leipzig. Michael Triegel's works are a combination of old master virtuosity and perfect craftsmanship. His pictures draw on Christian symbolism and classical mythology alike, and speak the language of Italian art from the Early Renaissance to Mannerism. They are thus out of step with the fashions and trends of the day, and yet in their provocative reflections offer critical takes on the present day. The monograph looks at 120 works, principally paintings, dating from 2003 to 2010. Together with illustrations of preparatory sketches, drawings, watercolours and etchings plus scholarly essays and commentaries on the works illustrated, the book provides a representative survey of the artist's extensive oeuvre.