Michael Zwack (1949–2017, American)
was among The Pictures Generation
artists who in the 1970s and early 1980s
critiqued the construct of popular images.
Zwack deeply regarded photography’s
impact on the way we view the world as
well as its ability to stand as a relic of
time. He visualized phenomenal worlds
that encourage a contemplative, almost
spiritual relationship to images. Last View
of the Temple exemplifies his approach
to landscape painting that incorporates
ancient histories and symbols. Zwack
has said, “I want to seduce people into
worlds that they may not ordinarily take
themselves—into a world of morality,
a world of humanity, where everything
reverberates with potential meanings; a
place where everything is alive, a place
where it is difficult to deny reality.”
–Affinities and Outliers: Highlights from the University at Albany Fine Art Collections