Thick and Deep

Ever so often one comes across an artwork that defies its own boundaries and questions the reality of its own existence. 'Thick and Deep' by Dominic Virtosu is one such painting.

Seen from afar, it seems to be depicting a banana tree jungle landscape - a vivid view inside a thick exotic forest. It is when we get closer to the canvas surface that the magic begins to happen and the work transforms itself progressively into a masterpiece of texture, gesture and vibrant color.

As our eye gazes on the thick brushstrokes that the artist deliberately splurged onto the canvas, there's an eerie feeling of object-surface-dissonance happening. The tree is a tree, but it is also the painting that supports it. This unique technique of layering and pigment application is questioning the idea of painting vs the painted object. We are drawn into the image but Virtosu never lets the viewer forget that this IS a painting. A painting that can only be fully enjoyed in person.