JD MALAT GALLERY PRESENTS CONRAD JON GODLY'S "NEVERTHELESS"
“The beauty of nature is unsurpassable. Nature is the essence, the source and the inspiration to create.”
- Conrad Jon Godly
JD Malat Gallery is showcasing NEVERTHELESS, a solo exhibition bringing together an exciting new body of work from Swiss artist Conrad Jon Godly. Born in Davos, Switzerland, Godly is always seeking to capture the essence of his surrounding environment. Godly spent 17 years as a photographer before turning to the brush, which is partly why his paintings are almost photo-like in appearance.
This dynamic and enticing exhibition presents Godly’s favourite subject matter: the awe, terror, beauty, and suspense of the mountains. Godly has painted many a mountain before, nevertheless, not one mountain is the same. Godly’s unique style is both abstraction and representation and this show presents a refined and powerful rendition of these phenomenal gifts of nature.
“I think the search for the essence is an eternal search,” Godly says, “...maybe it is also the search for the self, and this constant search until death is maybe the meaning of life.”
Godly’s textured paintings are not of specific mountains, instead they are the product of his own memory. Seeking to breaks the boundary between object and viewer, the paintings burst into the physical space of the gallery. They capture the emotional relationship Godly has with mountains, with a tangible quality - ridges are deeply felt, drops are sheer and paint appears to fall from the canvas.
“I made a break and I took time to think deeply about our world, our society, the politicians...how humans destroy our planet. In these difficult times people are longing for real things.” In contrast to politicians, Godly suggests a mountain is always true to you, eternally, indestructibly.
NEVERTHELESS can be viewed online until 9 January 2021 and we can all look forward to visiting JD Malat Gallery in person when they reopen in line with the government guidelines.
Exhibition Opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm; Saturday, 12pm - 6pm
Address: JD Malat Gallery, 30 Davies St, Mayfair, London, W1K 4NB
