Good Vibes Only

"Good Vibes Only" is one of the first expressive gestural paintings made by Dominic Virtosu.

Painted on a large-format square high-quality square canvas with enamel black and white, the work exudes an almost wild energy. From the brushstrokes and chaotic stains, painted and poured entirely with the left hand, a troubled and intriguing portrait emerges. This face is seen up-close and personal - almost too close for comfort - as its huge size seems to burst out of the borders of the canvas and into the real world.

"My intention was to look for what a depiction of an inner critic would look like within my universe..." says the artist, "I've made it a priority to engage this inner voice that holds on to so much pain from the past - I wanted to give it a face."

Through gestural repetition and energetic focusing of the brushstrokes, Virtosu unveils a hidden character - a new persona that may serve as a metaphor for what inner voices might look like. The nervous eyes and the bulbous nose hint at some sort of interior conflict - a disturbing image that moves and intrigues the viewer.

"This is certainly one of my most expressive and personal works so-far" said Virtosu. "The amount of energy and symbolism that go into this type of self-expression is astonishing to me as I keep discovering new meaning to this apparently straight-forward portrait."

Of particular interest is the mouth with a weirdly flowing lip-line: one cannot easily assess if the mouth has teeth or not.

Suited for a contemporary home that dares to provoke, this very personal and autobiographical work expresses the very deeply human need to belong and be seen.