Avalanche, 2023

Charcoal on canvas, 200 × 200 cm
© K37 Studio, Berlin

Avalanche is a charcoal drawing by Jorge da Cruz that explores the relationship between landscape, belief, ideological opposition, and the possibility of collapse. Through a mountainous composition interrupted by words, symbols, and an approaching mass of darkness, the work examines how apparently stable structures, whether physical or conceptual, can become vulnerable to forces beyond their control.

At the centre of the drawing stands a monumental mountain range, constructed through successive layers of charcoal, tonal contrasts, and areas of exposed paper. The peaks rise sharply, establishing a sense of scale and permanence. Although the composition initially appears to represent a natural landscape, its elements gradually introduce other meanings. The mountains become a setting in which questions of authority, direction, and uncertainty are brought together.

At the summit of the central peak, the word “GOD” appears in small letters. Its position at the highest point of the composition introduces a reference to religious belief and the historical association between mountains and the sacred. Across different cultural traditions, elevated places have frequently been understood as spaces of spiritual significance, encounters with divinity, or proximity to something beyond ordinary human experience. In Avalanche, however, the word does not establish a particular religious interpretation. Its presence remains ambiguous, suggesting both an assertion of belief and a question about the authority such belief represents.

On either side of the composition, two additional words introduce a different form of opposition. “LEFT” and “RIGHT” appear in red, functioning simultaneously as indications of direction and references to ideological positions. The word “LEFT” is crossed out, while “RIGHT” is accompanied by a white cross. These graphic interventions transform otherwise simple directional signs into statements that suggest approval, rejection, and the act of choosing between competing possibilities.

The relationship between these elements remains deliberately unresolved. The religious reference at the summit and the opposing indications of direction establish a composition in which different systems of belief and orientation coexist without offering a clear conclusion. Rather than presenting a specific ideological position, da Cruz examines the visual language through which authority and choice are communicated. Words and symbols acquire importance not only through their meanings, but also through their placement, colour, and relationship to the surrounding image.

To the right of the mountain range, a dense, dark cloud begins to enter the composition. Its irregular form contrasts with the sharply defined peaks, introducing a sense of movement into an otherwise monumental landscape. The cloud appears to advance towards the mountains, suggesting an approaching disturbance whose consequences remain uncertain. The apparent stability of the landscape is therefore challenged by an element that cannot be contained within its architectural-like solidity.

Charcoal plays an important role in establishing this tension. Its capacity to produce intense blacks, soft transitions, and partially erased surfaces allows the drawing to move between clearly defined forms and areas of visual instability. The mountains are constructed through accumulated layers of material, while the cloud develops as a less defined mass of darkness. This contrast reinforces the relationship between permanence and transformation, suggesting that even the most solid natural forms remain subject to change.

The title, Avalanche, introduces the possibility of a sudden and irreversible event. Although the drawing does not necessarily represent an avalanche in progress, it suggests the conditions preceding one: accumulated pressure, unstable balance, and the potential movement of an enormous physical mass. The image concentrates on this moment of uncertainty, when the landscape still appears intact but the possibility of collapse has already entered the composition.

In this context, the references to belief and ideological direction acquire an additional dimension. The opposing signs and the word at the summit suggest different ways of organising human understanding, while the mountain and approaching cloud introduce forces that remain indifferent to those systems. The composition brings together the human desire for orientation and certainty with the instability of the physical world.

Avalanche explores the space between stability and disruption, where natural forces, religious references, and ideological symbols coexist within a single image. Rather than offering a resolution, da Cruz constructs a landscape in which different forms of authority and belief are confronted with the possibility of change. The approaching darkness and the suggestion of an impending avalanche leave the composition suspended between what appears permanent and what may be about to disappear.

noT