The scene is set by rich red and purple hues. A young woman has her watchful wide-eyed gaze directed forward, hinting that something is threatening her. Her skin shimmers against the dark background – enhancing the cold sheen of the dagger she embraces with both hands.
Sarah, the protagonist, is entangled in a treacherous conflict. Her skin contrasts against the darkness, but it’s the cold gleam of the dagger she grips, ready for defense, that captivates. The weapon symbolizes her perilous situation and looming threats.

Philipp Weber’s “The Rivals” explores the fragile bonds of friendship, trust, and love, and how easily competition and jealousy can shatter them. The haunting piece captures life’s ambivalence, balancing between loyalty and betrayal. For the viewer of the painting “The Rivals 5 – Sarah,” the image space opens up like a stage, on which a drama full of intensity and tension takes place.

The painting deals with how easily, in a competitive situation, friendship can turn into enmity, trust into suspicion, love into hate. As in many of his works, Philipp also refers to the existing ambiguity in any situation.