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Acrylic on canvas. Signed on reverse: “P. Habl”. The motif of a mountainous landscape inspired by travels to Asia is based on 18th century Japanese woodcuts, especially Katsushiko Hokusai's “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji”. Mountains have long represented not only a site of physical encounter with the elements of nature, but also a desire to reach the top, the journey often being more important than the destination itself. In terms of interpretation, mountains also refer to multiple layers and imagination. In this painting, Hábl first used black, brown and red color in combination with the calligraphic, structural – in fact almost three-dimensional – illusion of space, with his dense, expressive painting contrasting with dry, borderline-minimalist frugality. Patrik Hábl is one of the most striking faces in contemporary Czech art who works with both the painting and its installation in space (solo exhibitions at Dox – Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing International Art Biennale, exhibition in Kyoto, Japan, 2015). He has created a number of works for display in important historical buildings: a 15-meter installation in the church at Speinshart Monastery; an installation for the permanent exhibition at Aleš South Bohemian Gallery and a 100m2 painting that was included in his exhibition at the gallery titled “Paintings in Architecture”, 2016; a ten-meter Lenten veil for the Church of Maria am Leech, the oldest church in Graz; at the Small Fortress of the former Terezín Ghetto he encircled cell no. 41 with a painting composed of 600 figures, 2017. Hábl currently teaches at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. His work has been awarded the Waldes Prize and Europol Art Award, and he was nominated for the Top 10 People of the Year in 2013. EXHIBITED AT (selection): Regulated Randomness, Spazio Ostrakon Gallery, Milan, Italy (2014); Lenten, QL Gallery, Graz, Austria; Spitalkirche, Kunstquartier, Schwarzachtalhalle, Neunburg (2017); Art Basel, Liste, Basel, Switzerland (2016); 6th Beijing Biennale, Beijing, China (2015)