The Markus Lüpertz exhibition at Michael Werner Gallery, up through April 29, is an important show to see. Though perhaps not so well-known in America, Lüpertz, who is associated with neo-expressionism, is one of Germany’s best-known contemporary artists, practicing as a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, writer, magazine publisher and even jazz pianist. Titled “Et in Arcadia ego” (“Even in Arcadia, there I [Death] am”), this show includes compelling paintings of life and death, of our relationship to history, and our relationship to art history. Combining references to figures from Old Master allegorical paintings, traditional symbols of death such as skulls and the Ancient Greek underworld rivers of Acheron and Sty, with some of his own symbols like the Nazi helmet, and placing these metaphors in the pastoral Brandenburg, Germany landscape where he works, Lüpertz has created rich, contrasting layers of discomfort and compassion. The somewhat loose compositional structuring at first feels a bit flabby, but then helps create a sense of insecurity that, blended with perfectly tuned deep, ominous color relationships, expert paint handling that moves from opaque to translucent, and rugged, handmade frames, ultimately suggests a deep humanity, housed in the eternally mythic while struggling with the transient vulnerability of our present time.