Mountains and blossoms are natural parts of our everyday lives—and at the same time symbols of grandeur and beauty. In religions, they represent closeness to the divine and new beginnings; in secular contexts, they inspire awe for the power of nature. Their forms arise without conscious design, yet appear completely harmonious. Mehr...
For a long time, nature served only as a backdrop in art: mountains were the setting for biblical events, flowers carried symbolic meaning. It was not until the 19th century that nature itself took center stage—as a projection screen of longing for the “lost paradise.” This fascination continues to shape our relationship with nature to this day, from romantic landscape paintings to Instagram photos.
Katharina Gierlach’s (born 1983, Würzburg) and JKB Fletcher’s (born 1982, Solihull, UK) paintings approach this theme in very different ways. Gierlach's works glow with life, seeming to grow out of the canvas and unfolding an expressive richness of color. Fletcher, on the other hand, works in a restrained, meditative, monochrome style. His large-format paintings thrive on reduction and silence.
What connects the two is their classic, painterly approaches — and a unique view of the whole: up close, their works appear abstract and illegible, but from a distance, they reveal themselves as mountains or flowers. This perspective invites us to take a step back—both literally and figuratively.
Because only from a distance can you see what really matters: the clarity and beauty of the big picture, which transcends the sometimes confusing details of everyday life.
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