Dog, 2018

Charcoal on paper, 240 × 160 cm
Assembled from sixteen sheets
© K37 Studio, Bethanien Art Center, Berlin

Text by noT

Dog is a large-scale charcoal drawing by Jorge da Cruz, measuring 240 × 160 cm and assembled from sixteen joined sheets of paper. The work presents a mountainous landscape beneath a turbulent sky, exploring the relationship between stillness and movement, the anticipation of natural events, and the uncertainty of what is about to happen. Through its composition, material contrasts, and ambiguous title, the drawing introduces a tension between the apparent permanence of the landscape and the instability of the atmosphere surrounding it.

At the centre of the composition stands a mountain, its dark and solid form providing the principal point of reference within the image. Its contours remain relatively stable, establishing a visual contrast with the movement taking place above it. The mountain occupies the landscape almost as a fixed structure, while the sky develops through a succession of clouds, tonal variations, and energetic charcoal marks. These two elements establish different rhythms within the same composition.

The sky is particularly important to the drawing's atmosphere. Dense clouds gather above the mountain, their forms developed through overlapping strokes, areas of deep black, and softer passages of grey. The variations in tone suggest movement and changes in atmospheric pressure, creating the impression of a storm approaching or gradually forming. Although the image contains no clearly defined moment of impact, the concentration of movement in the sky suggests that the landscape is approaching a significant change.

This suspended moment is central to the work. It recalls the brief interval between seeing lightning and hearing thunder, when an event has already occurred but its full impact has not yet been experienced. Da Cruz explores this separation between perception and consequence, concentrating on the anticipation of an event rather than its dramatic representation. The landscape remains intact, but the approaching disturbance changes the way it is perceived.

The title, Dog, introduces another element into the interpretation of the drawing. Read backwards, the word becomes “God”, establishing a simple linguistic inversion that introduces a possible religious reference without making it explicit within the image. The reversal creates an association between opposing terms and positions: the earthly and the divine, the physical and the symbolic, or the familiar and the unexpected.

Rather than establishing a particular religious meaning, the title leaves these associations open. Its relationship with the mountain and the turbulent sky suggests how a small change in language can alter the interpretation of an otherwise recognisable landscape. The word does not illustrate the drawing, nor does the drawing provide a definitive explanation of the title. Their connection remains deliberately ambiguous.

The use of charcoal contributes directly to the work's visual structure. Its capacity to produce substantial areas of darkness alongside delicate tonal transitions allows da Cruz to differentiate the physical weight of the mountain from the less defined forms of the atmosphere. The drawing develops through the accumulation and removal of material, with certain areas rendered in greater detail while others remain open or partially erased. These differences establish a contrast between solid matter and atmospheric movement.

The sixteen sheets of paper also determine the physical construction of the image. Their assembly makes it possible to develop a composition on a monumental scale while retaining the characteristics of drawing on individual sheets. The relationship between the large format and the direct application of charcoal is an important aspect of da Cruz's practice, allowing the material to remain visible even across an extensive pictorial surface.

Dog explores the moment preceding a possible transformation. The mountain, the approaching storm, and the inversion contained in the title introduce different forms of instability without resolving them into a single narrative. The work does not depict a catastrophe or a completed event. Instead, it concentrates on the interval in which change can be anticipated but its consequences remain unknown.

Through this relationship between landscape, atmosphere, and language, da Cruz examines how an image can suggest movement and uncertainty without representing their final outcome. The mountain remains standing, the storm continues to gather, and the drawing holds the moment before the anticipated event takes place.

noT