Towers

In Towers, Max Horst presents a haunting, post-apocalyptic landscape populated by monumental organic structures that rise from a barren plain like the remnants of an ancient civilization. The central tower dominates the composition, its weathered surface pierced by cavities and skeletal openings that suggest both architectural decay and living tissue. A skull-like form emerges from the structure, reinforcing themes of mortality, memory, and transformation.

Surrounding towers recede into the distance, creating a vast and desolate horizon beneath a dramatic sky filled with swirling clouds and shifting light. The contrast between the warm earth tones of the landscape and the luminous blues and grays of the sky heightens the painting’s surreal atmosphere. Horst blends elements of architecture, biology, and dream imagery to evoke a world suspended between creation and ruin.

The work invites contemplation of impermanence, the passage of time, and the mysterious relationship between nature and the structures humanity leaves behind. Its evocative imagery recalls the tradition of visionary and fantastical painting while maintaining a distinctive and deeply personal visual language.

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I am full-time contemporary Australian painter having completed a Master Degree at the European Academy of Arts in 1997. I generally paint under the name "Max Horst". Exploring the nature of people and the relationships between them, my paintings are very often short stories of small,daily moments of life. I distill these relationships through simplified forms and shapes, developing my own code of symbols - a code which is constantly changing and developing over time.In my quest for simplicity and honesty I draw much of my inspiration from cave paintings and naive art, “because I find them very honest as a form of art”.Using oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, I may mix them with drawing techniques. Natural pigments of earth colors are the base of my palette. With an intuitive preoccupation with color, form and line my work belies a carefully considered composition and an appreciation of the nature of human interaction.