Herbert Ferber ranks with his close Jewish colleagues Adolph Gottlieb, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman as a major figure in the development of Abstract Expressionism. During the 1940s, these artists used abstracted bestial imagery to convey the violent forces of war. Their goal was to create an art of gravity and dramatic power--one that was, in their words, both "tragic and timeless." The biomorphic form of Surrational Zeus II conjures a writhing skeleton, its entrails, and its body parts, a reminder of the brutality of war. The artist's imagery was meant to convey multiple meanings and free associations. In this case, the sculpture also brings to mind ancient calligraphy writ in three dimensions.