German painter Eberhard Marx describes his style as magical realism, hinting at the drastic shifts in style and imagery he often accomplishes within his canvases. He cites the influence of German Romantics, though his incorporation of mythical figures and surreal landscapes also evokes Symbolism. The fogs of memory and history hang over many of his landscapes and structures, thickening in places and dissipating elsewhere to reveal areas of saturated color and sharp detail. Each grand scale vista provokes the viewer’s memory and imagination by melding historical references and fairy tale-like architecture.
Appropriately, Marx’s brushwork varies by subject and level of precision, with landmasses and skies partly obscured by clouds portrayed with more gestural strokes, while human or animal figures, as well as ornate architectural forms, are executed with superb finesse. This combination of styles and imageries rewards both close and distant viewing. It also parallels the temporal shifts in subject that Marx pulls off, painting historical and imaginary landscapes with an unmistakably contemporary sensitivity.
Agora Gallery, New York, 2011
