Natural History, which will be shown in the gallery’s main exhibition space, brings together a group of Peter Hoffer’s recent works in oil and resin on wood panel. Each of the artist’s compositions offers us a form of representation that might, at first glance, seem entirely classic. However, the treatment of these landscapes is completely contemporary—surfaces comprise either layers of pigment or a rich varnish of matchless perfection that lends a truly sumptuous painterliness to these works.

As Peter Hoffer explains: “This approach enables me to play with the contradiction between the natural, organic look of a painted landscape and the wholly artificial aspect imparted by the varnish. It could also be seen as setting up a contrast between what the artist’s hand creates and what is the unique province of the materials. In a way, the painting takes on some of the characteristics of the landscape itself, which is perpetually changing and evolving while, for their part, the materials deteriorate and continuously alter their composition.”