{"id":3242,"date":"2025-12-01T08:41:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=3242"},"modified":"2025-12-01T08:41:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:41:43","slug":"esoteric-scenes-unfurl-in-gideon-kiefers-atmospheric-paintings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=3242","title":{"rendered":"Esoteric Scenes Unfurl in Gideon Kiefer\u2019s Atmospheric Paintings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-8.jpeg\" alt=\"Esoteric Scenes Unfurl in Gideon Kiefer\u2019s Atmospheric Paintings\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Enigmatic landscapes and metaphysical scenes unfold in the work of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gideonkiefer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gideon Kiefer<\/a>. On canvas and panel, the artist paints countrysides dotted with small fires, pensive figures, and natural phenomena seemingly detached from reality by varying degrees, such as a wave crashing inside of an architectural enclosure or a chunk of purple-tinted landscape floating inside of a celestial cube.<\/p>\n<p>Kiefer is interested in the nature of time and the way we mark its passing. Many of the mysterious notations and framing devices he adds around his esoteric tableaux resemble quickly-scribbled notes, as if for remembering something important, or poetic extracts from diary entries.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2999\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-1.jpeg\" alt=\"A framed vertical painting by Gideon Kiefer of a bonfire with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466246\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cB MF B\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At first glance, Kiefer\u2019s scenes often present an initial sense of familiarity or recognition, but the longer one studies the composition, comprehension is gradually dismantled. Notes in the margins may or may not feel relevant, like a doodle on the edge of a document. Or perhaps the phrases and numbers are clues to some arcane puzzle, in which Kiefer presents seemingly disparate pieces for us to try to reassemble.<\/p>\n<p>Within his spatially strange compositions, Kiefer incorporates themes around the climate crisis. As sea levels rise due to melting ice caps and weather patterns change due to warmer temperatures\u2014among myriad other effects\u2014ecological changes and disruptions increasingly affect not only the planet\u2019s flora and fauna but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/nov\/30\/indonesia-thailand-floods\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our own communities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In Kiefer\u2019s atmospheric paintings, stormy waves, mercurial skies, monumental icebergs, and intense fires mirror how the planet is transforming. His pieces also consider how we remember both what has already happened to the planet and acknowledge what is happening right now.<\/p>\n<p>See more on the artist\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gideonkiefer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gideon_kiefer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1339\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-11.jpeg\" alt=\"A framed painting by Gideon Kiefer of a wave with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466256\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe Wave\u201d <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2388\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-2.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting by Gideon Kiefer of a draped piece of clothing in front of a countryside landscape, with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466247\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cDead Rabbit\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1344\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-10.jpeg\" alt=\"A framed painting by Gideon Kiefer of a field with a few trees and a number of small fires, with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466255\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe Fucking-Up Ritual\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1458\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-9.jpeg\" alt=\"A framed painting by Gideon Kiefer of a dead crow upside-down on a series of pins, with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466254\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cStop Fucking Around, Start Fucking Around\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2864\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-4.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting by Gideon Kiefer of a square-shaped purple landscape swatch with esoteric symbols in the space above it, with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466249\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cDon\u2019t Bang the Drum\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-5.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting by Gideon Kiefer of a male figure surrounded by flowers, with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466250\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFILIP\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1670\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-7.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting by Gideon Kiefer of a wave in a box with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466252\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cParasite Killing Host\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2453\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-6.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting by Gideon Kiefer of a large iceberg with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466251\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cIch Mo\u0308chte Ein Eisberg Sein\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kiefer-3.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting by Gideon Kiefer of a solemn male figure's head and shoulders, surrounded by twigs, with some notations and color swatches around the edges\" class=\"wp-image-466248\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cDer Sohn\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\">Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2025\/12\/gideon-kiefer-paintings\/\">Esoteric Scenes Unfurl in Gideon Kiefer\u2019s Atmospheric Paintings<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/\">Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enigmatic landscapes and metaphysical scenes unfold in the work of Gideon Kiefer. On canvas and panel, the artist paints countrysides dotted with small fires, pensive figures, and natural phenomena seemingly&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3242\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}