John Zurier »Mountains are feelings«

Zurier’s pictorial language explores the brushstroke as a structural element from which layers of paint emerge: at times leaving the canvas exposed, while at other moments the oil layers are superimposed like small hills within the painting. In his works, color and its tonal degradations are also a material and perceptual exploration of how color operates in the world and within the painting itself.

The exhibition title is inspired by Canto III of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1816) by the English poet Lord Byron. Zurier plays with the quote: “High mountains are a feeling.” In the context of the exhibition, the artist transfers the poetic meaning of the phrase to a more personal, philosophical, and emotional state.

Mountains, the most ancient natural landscape, are situated conceptually and sensitively within the abstract and pictorial language to which Zurier appeals. Their geology is narrated through primitive memories, and their entity forms part of the cycle of time. We experience these earth elevations contemplatively and sensitively, not only when observing the passage of the seasons on the world around us but also as a recurring theme within Zurier’s artistic and poetic interest.

The contemplation of the exhibition simulates the observation of a unified whole, much like mountains frame the great landmass without compelling us to focus on one specific meadow. Through the inherent ambiguity of abstract painting, Mountains Are Feelings subtly guides the viewer toward a sensory reading. Collectively, the works demand the observation of a mountain that has lived longer than we will ever know, orienting and enriching the perceptions of those who contemplate the space where the painting exists.