Contemporary landscape paintings
Cobi Moules, Untitled (Catskill 2), 2018, oil on canvas, 8 x 10 in

Lyons Wier Gallery is pleased to present “That’s All They Really Want,” contemporary landscape paintings by Cobi Moules.

From the gallery:

Driven by the desire for adventure and discovery, Cobi Moules embraces the beauty of nature all the while shifting its weight through the exaltation of his own existence within and as part of it. This is best exemplified by the way he incorporates multiple self-portraits throughout his compositions. The multiplicity of self takes both precedence over and integration into the landscape, creating a world with a sense of excitement, self-worth, and play.

Contemporary landscape paintings
Cobi Moules, Untitled (Cliffs of Mount Desert Island 2), 2018, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 in.

The locations of Moules’s compositions are equally important. All the locations were previously depicted in paintings by the Hudson River School. Through the exploration of the grand American landscape and the reflection on mid-19th-century American landscape painting, Moules navigates the parallels between the Hudson River School and the religious ideology that was an integral part of his formative years. Shared throughout both is the elevation of purity, virginity, and the honor of sacrificing one’s selfhood for the glory of God. As the Hudson River School artists’ work embodies the overpowering force of God made manifest through nature, so do the religious voices of Moules’s past against the validation of his existence.

Contemporary landscape paintings
Cobi Moules, Untitled (Lonely Lake), 2018, oil on canvas, 12 x 20 in.

Moules states, “As a queer and trans person, I seek to renegotiate my relationship with this upbringing and the act of being told I am ‘unnatural’ through such a Christian lens. I utilize traditional representation as a way of seeking inclusion while disrupting the original narrative. Creating a space for personal significance and a queer and trans presence, the importance becomes the experience of my multiple and overall presence. It is a community of me playing, exploring my selves, exploring nature, and being part of it.”

Contemporary landscape paintings
Cobi Moules, Untitled (White Mountains 2), 2018, oil on canvas, 20 x 18 in.

“That’s All They Really Want” is on view through November 3, 2018, at Lyons Wier Gallery (New York, New York).


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