Spread across two floors of the London gallery, this is Godly’s most extensive body of work to date.

Not only is this the first exhibition by the renowned Swiss artist after a four-year hiatus, it is also titled Renaissance as a declaration of his return and ‘rebirth’. Indeed, in the artist’s own words, “four years later, closer to death than life, I feel reborn”.

This exhibition is a rebirth in the truest sense of the word. Godly, like so many great artists before him, went through personally challenging periods and at times reflected on life itself. After periods of high emotional intensity, Godly finally saw the light of day and started painting again. The artist felt that he had not only gained a second life as a human being, but also a second chance to paint.

The artist was not sure if he would ever paint again, or even create a brand new work, so this exhibition was a miracle. Godly tells us that the fire of life that burns inside him has never left him, that even though it is close to being extinguished, it is always there and can turn into fire again. The fire of life

“To be honest, not so long ago I could never have imagined that I would be able to lead a normal life again and paint again”

Godly describes how his sanity led him to a place of deep reflection where his creative genius was tested and tried. Amazingly, after time and healing, he was able to restore himself to sanity and peace. This exhibition is a tribute to his recovery and a gift to Godly’s followers. He painted what he knew best, what made him feel most at peace: the beautiful and endless mountains.

A notable change for the artist is the transition from oil to acrylic. Years of experimenting with paint led Godly to realize that acrylic provides more depth to the surface, a deeper saturation of color, and most importantly, indefinite longevity to his canvases without the risk of the quality fading over time.

Godly’s background in photography is also evident in these new paintings; his use of light and perspective is very realistic and at times could be mistaken for a photograph. However, what makes Godly’s work so powerful and universally resonant is his ability to transform a simple landscape scene into an abstract interpretation of a spiritual state. Although we are confronted with simple mountains, what we actually see can be entirely subjective and personal. The artist depicts much more than a mountain, but what nature makes us feel and think. In light of his personal experiences over the last few years, this existential factor is undeniable.

As well as signifying a second chance for Conrad and the ability to start again despite his troubled past, the allusion to the historical period of the Renaissance is undeniable. This period in European civilization marked a return to Classical learning and wisdom. It was a period of tremendous discovery as well as a revival of ancient teachings and culture that led to groundbreaking developments. For Conrad, too, the exhibition was an opportunity to look back into his past and take only the best elements, allowing him to explore the depths of his creative genius to create his best paintings to date. Like Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci, Godly was able to create something aesthetically new but rooted in the past.

More than thirty new works in Godly’s signature triad of black, blue and green are a powerful symbol of the beauty of existence and our ability to start again, no matter what stage of life we are in. We can all experience our own Renaissance when we encounter one of his mountains.