“The white flowers have the fury of battle, they lay siege to the mountains… angry and Alpine, their petals blur into a white gust from the Matterhorn or the streets of Zermatt.”
— Derek Walcott, The Prodigal: 12Inspired by Derek Walcott’s series of poems The Prodigal, Doig’s Zermatt series portrays six diverse visual narratives from the artist’s experiences in the picturesque Swiss skiing resort. Not coincidentally, Walcott’s poetry explicitly referrers to the danger of Zermatt’s landscape, as depicted in Holy Mountain: “And they are as white as arrested avalanches, / angry and Alpine, their petals blur into/ a white gust from the Matterhorn or the streets of Zermatt”.
Doig painted the Zermatt series between 2020 and 2021, shortly after his stay at architect and artist Heinz Julen’s chalet in Zermatt during the winter season. Completed later from memory to recall the snowscapes of Zermatt, the series draws upon a variety of influences – from the idyllic village and its longstanding religious traditions to the dramatic alpine landscape and the falling snow, reminiscent of the gust of petals described in Walcott’s poem. The resulting blur between representation and reinterpretation, memories both real and imagined, has come to guide Doig’s formal concerns, reinforcing the often foggy, inarticulate sensation of remembering. Emblematic of Doig’s artistic endeavours both conceptually and visually, Holy Mountain is a remarkable example of Doig’s extensive body of work, confirming his rank as one of the most renowned figurative painters of his generation.
Holy Mountain, the final print in his Zermatt series, evokes a crucifixion-like scene set against a snowy landscape, with the skier’s crossed skis replacing Christ’s cross. The Matterhorn’s peak, which overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt, looms dramatically in the background, illuminated against a darkening sky. Doig’s work reflects the strong Christian presence in Zermatt, linked to the town’s position within a dangerous, mountainous landscape. In addition, Holy Mountain mirrors the style of mid-twentieth century tourist posters promoting Zermatt’s allure. With its vertical format and idyllic depiction of the mountain, the print captures the richness of Doig’s painting, seamlessly translating it from canvas to giclée print edition.