Second Day Nothing by Jonas Burgert is a monumental work with a narrative that recalls the cataclysmic worlds of Flemish master Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450 - 1516). Equally accomplished in the command of space and mood through color, Burgert presents a fantastic scene of figures caught in the aftermath of what appears to be an urban accident. A hole in the plaza grid reveals an acidic green liquid. While people are struggling to escape or have succumbed to their fight, others are busy collecting the spill in buckets. Burgert’s work shows the disparity in human nature when faced with a crisis and suggests underlying personal meaning and broader interpretations.

Jonas Burgert was born in Berlin, Germany in 1969, where he lives and works. He received an MA from the Academy of Fine Arts (UdK) Berlin, Germany. Selected exhibitions include Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany; Saatchi Gallery, London, United Kingdom and Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany.

Works by Jonas Burgert are also on view at our partner members of Contemporary Art Colorado: at the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver until November 23, 2008 and at the Denver Art Museum through mid-2010.

Above: Jonas Burgert, Zweiter Tag Nichts (Second Day Nothing) (detail), 2008, oil on canvas, 157 1/2 x 236 1/4 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Vicki and Kent Logan. Photo by Lepkowski Studios, Berlin.