Bernhard Zimmer

Bernhard Zimmer produces layered, subtly textured paintings that hold opposites—order and chaos, abstraction and representation, boldness and subtlety—in exquisite tension. Working with oil and mixed media on canvas, he paints fields of soft shapes, blocks of color, and delicate lines; grids of sketchily rendered faces; and blocks of text or word fragments partially submerged, like hieroglyphics, in rich washes of color. Like reliefs, his compositions are built up from numerous layers of paint, marks, and images. Their surfaces shift with the light and the changing position of the viewer. Full of strength and fragility, Zimmer’s works reward patient viewing, revealing their rich visual nuances to those who take time to look into their layers.