Cats are liquid - blue cat on pink - 200x200cm - oil on canvas - 2021
Working on a large format canvas, Dominic Virtosu uses powerful gesture and expansive high-contrast colors to emphasize the impact that this image makes. As a basis for this work, the artist is using his interest for the feline species and the popular meme-concept of "cats are liquid" to create a visual representation of that idea. The 200x200cm canvas is boasting a vibrant, almost tacky, pink background. On it, a blue shape appears to be almost floating: the huge, contorted body of a "small" kitten - painted to outrageous proportions with a deep blue palette of splashed-out colors. Virtosu is not one to shy away from big emphatic gestural painting - and this shows in this work: the large size of the subject offers the artist a variety of opportunities to express his splashing skills. The idea of cats being able to sleep in any position, almost completely corkscrewed from head to tail, fascinates the artist and was the basis for this new series of very large gestural works.
Closer to Me - 120x120cm - oil on canvas - 2020
"Closer to Me" is a step behind the curtain into a very personal intimacy of the life of a model. We are invited to see her as she is, naturally, without pretense or social mask. In a cozy environment, the artist controls and shines a very warm light on this young, beautiful woman. Is she on a break? Is she meditating on her purpose in life? We may never know. "The point of this painting for me was to use existing imagery and reinterpret that reality in a novel way: I've added a snail as a pet for the girl. The inherent eroticism of her barely covered body was made more interesting for me in the context of the gooey snail." said Dominic Virtosu. "I love the idea that this is a glimpse into someone's intimacy...i put the audience in the position of a stalker - looking from behind the plants."
Where Mystery starts, 120x120 cm, oil on canvas, 2015_ medium size_ original artwork by Dominic Virtosu
This square format work shows a uniform, thick layer of vibrant turquoise paint dominating the flat background - almost like a digitally enhanced image where the colors bare little resemblance to their natural counterparts. From this background, as if it were a separate, cutaway piece, the shape of a huge, orange umbrella emerges distinctly and imperiously screaming for the eyes' attention. Our gaze is attracted magnetically by the few details emerging from under the umbrella hinting to the person hiding underneath, sheltering herself from the scorching heat of the afternoon sunlight. The silhouette of a woman, sitting on an armchair is, most likely, what we are shown...though her face will, forever, remain a mystery.
Holly and Daisy are Cumming - oil on canvas - 100x100 - 2014 - 72DPI
Tinted with an orange hue, with red shadows and yellow highlights, four characters emerge from this painting: from left two right we see what appears to be the figure of Mickey Mouse, then two overlapping naked women with a provocative sexual attitude and lastly, further to the right, the round half figure of what appears to be Santa Claus. Doing it "doggy style' with and 'in your face attitude', the depiction of these characters together in a phantasy orgy setting comes in contradiction with their original initial role - the one of children friendly role-models. A nudity which questions our ideas about what is obscene and what is just vulgar.
Bastet in the water_120x100 cm - oil on canvas - 2016_private collection
White Knight, 130x100cm, oil on canvas, 2020
As you must have noticed, this artwork depicts a horse taking a bath in a luxurious tub, in a full setting of luxury: an absurdly funny and impossible idea. Part of a continuing series of horses, this piece is centered around the idea of gold - a sense of weirdness and ambiguity exudes through-out this painting as the artist uses the dark background and red tub to further emphasize this scene of lavish luxury. "Beginning in 2015 I have had this idea of using horses in absurd or impossible situations," said Dominic Virtosu, "it all started because of a stupid story I once heard in which a man was carrying a dead horse on the tram and then back into his house, only to then put it in his tub and claim that he is the only one with a horse in his tub. Totally idiotic story, but the visual, I found, were worth exploring". "I am always painting two or three horses at the same time because I like to explore color schemes and variants" said the artist.
Purple Dreams, 130x100cm, oil on canvas, 2020
As you must have noticed, this artwork depicts a horse taking a bath in a luxurious tub, in a full setting of luxury: an absurdly funny and impossible idea. Part of a continuing series of horses, this piece is centered around the idea of a purple bath - a sense of weirdness and ambiguity exudes through-out this painting as the artist uses pink and purple to illustrate this scene of lavish luxury. "Beginning in 2015 I have had this idea of using horses in absurd or impossible situations," said Dominic Virtosu, "it all started because of a stupid story I once heard in which a man was carrying a dead horse on the tram and then back into his house, only to then put it in his tub and claim that he is the only one with a horse in his tub. Totally idiotic story, but the visual, I found, were worth exploring". "I am always painting two or three horses at the same time because I like to explore color schemes and variants" said the artist.
My Pink is showing_oil on canvas_100x110cm_2015
My decorator is Swiss, 120x100cm, oil on canvas, 2014_private collection
My new Golden Chandelier, 120x100cm, oil on canvas, 2014_private collection
Warm Bath, 110x100cm, oil on canvas, 2020
As you must have noticed, this artwork depicts a horse taking a bath in a luxurious tub, in a full setting of luxury: an absurdly funny and impossible idea. Part of a continuing series of horses, this piece is centered around the warm atmosphere of the bath - a sense of pleasant relaxation exudes through-out this painting as the artist uses warm, soft colors to illustrate this scene of lavish luxury. "Beginning in 2015 I have had this idea of using horses in absurd or impossible situations," said Dominic Virtosu, "it all started because of a stupid story I once heard in which a man was carrying a dead horse on the tram and then back into his house, only to then put it in his tub and claim that he is the only one with a horse in his tub. Totally idiotic story, but the visual, I found, were worth exploring". "I am always painting two or three horses at the same time because I like to explore color schemes and variants" said the artist.
The blue Horse of Happiness_120x120cm_oil on canvas_2015 private collection
Sweet Tooth (get sweet) - 120x100cm - oil on canvas - 2015
Magnetic Horse Fields - 120x100cm - oil on canvas -2016
True Kingdom Color - 100x120 cm - oil on canvas - 2016
Interstellar Candy - 100x120cm - oil on canvas - 2013_private collection
chips, cherries and lobsters_ digital work_100x80cm_2015
True Kingdom - 100x120 cm - oil on canvas - 2016 - Sold- 1500px
the Gap_90x90cm-oil on canvas-2013
Title-needed_100x80-cm_oil-on-canvas_2015_mic
Let Me In - 120x100 cm oil in canvas 2014 _resize
The Buck - 50x70cm - oil on canvas - 2016
Cubic World (oil on canvas, 160x150, 2012) Private Collection
Through my Eyes. 90x90cm - oil on canvas - 2016.
Elephant_Equilibrium_2013_oil_on_canvas_100x80_cm_private collection
Have Faith (90x90cm, oil on canvas, 2017)
On a pink abstract background, riddled with edgy green gradients of color, an astronaut, a pope and a beautiful black female hand co-exist in harmony. A forefront to express the inexpressible - the contradictions that we once believed to be insurmountable and the prejudices that were unbeatable are now just questions in an abstract symbolic universe of possibilities.
Square Behind - 120x100 cm- oil on canvas - 2016 - private collection
Square Behind - 120x100 cm- oil on canvas - 2016 - private collection
Three in a Boat (Rabbits) (oil on canvas, 70x100cm, 2014)
Underwear in Nice (oil on canvas, 100x100cm, 2012) private collection
Balloons (oil on canvas, 100x80cm, 2011)
Multiple Victory 100x100 cm oil-on-canvas-2015_JPG_72_DPI
What is THIS 100x100 cm oil-on-canvas 2015_JPG
YesCats_120x120cm_oil on canvas_2016-private collection
Where it all comes from_90x90cm_oil on canvas_2016
At the Beach (oil on canvas, 80x80cm, 2014)
We are all Unicorns - 120x120cm - oil on canvas - 2016_web
A playful take on the idea of the "Unique". What is unique and what is special in our world today? The artist works with accepted cliches and makes new creative assumptions in order to challenge our received ideas. In a vintage stable, somewhere in rural France, a bunch of unicorns are gathered together - there's Unikitty, Unihorse, Unigiraffe, Unirhyno...all of them coexisting in this spectacular yet banal fantasy of the artists' mind. The thick colors emphasize a feeling of peace, while the strong dynamic composition diagonals point toward something more, something outside our field of perception. Is this something we can relate to? Is it something aspirational? Do we all need to feel special? Is "beind special" crucial for our social and mental survival? This figurative work is medium sized and fits well within any well lit interior - the warm colors express a secret sense of optimism and hope for the future.
In the Bushes_50x70cm_oil on canvas_2015_private collection
Camaro Bear
160x150cm, textiles, plastic collage on canvas, 2015
Winter Landscape (oil on canvas, 80x80, 2014)
Explosion (crayon on paper, 25x25cm, 2011)
Three in a Boat (Rabbits) (oil in canvas, 70x100cm, 2014)
Nature (oil on canvas, 60x100cm, 2014)
BlaBla Colors (oil on canvas, 100x80xm, 2011)
Vegetables 1 (oil on canvas, 100x80cm, 2011)
Sneakers 1 (oil on canvas, 120x60cm, 2013)
Sneakers 2 (oil on canvas, 120x60cm, 2013)
Zen Elephant (oil on canvas, 80x100cm, 2013) private collection
Rabbits and House (acryl and ink on paper, 80x80cm, 2014)
Animal Equilibrium (ink and acryl on canvas, 42x29.7cm, 2012)
Cats are liquid - blue cat on pink - 200x200cm - oil on canvas - 2021
Working on a large format canvas, Dominic Virtosu uses powerful gesture and expansive high-contrast colors to emphasize the impact that this image makes. As a basis for this work, the artist is using his interest for the feline species and the popular meme-concept of "cats are liquid" to create a visual representation of that idea. The 200x200cm canvas is boasting a vibrant, almost tacky, pink background. On it, a blue shape appears to be almost floating: the huge, contorted body of a "small" kitten - painted to outrageous proportions with a deep blue palette of splashed-out colors. Virtosu is not one to shy away from big emphatic gestural painting - and this shows in this work: the large size of the subject offers the artist a variety of opportunities to express his splashing skills. The idea of cats being able to sleep in any position, almost completely corkscrewed from head to tail, fascinates the artist and was the basis for this new series of very large gestural works.
Closer to Me - 120x120cm - oil on canvas - 2020
"Closer to Me" is a step behind the curtain into a very personal intimacy of the life of a model. We are invited to see her as she is, naturally, without pretense or social mask. In a cozy environment, the artist controls and shines a very warm light on this young, beautiful woman. Is she on a break? Is she meditating on her purpose in life? We may never know. "The point of this painting for me was to use existing imagery and reinterpret that reality in a novel way: I've added a snail as a pet for the girl. The inherent eroticism of her barely covered body was made more interesting for me in the context of the gooey snail." said Dominic Virtosu. "I love the idea that this is a glimpse into someone's intimacy...i put the audience in the position of a stalker - looking from behind the plants."
Where Mystery starts, 120x120 cm, oil on canvas, 2015_ medium size_ original artwork by Dominic Virtosu
This square format work shows a uniform, thick layer of vibrant turquoise paint dominating the flat background - almost like a digitally enhanced image where the colors bare little resemblance to their natural counterparts. From this background, as if it were a separate, cutaway piece, the shape of a huge, orange umbrella emerges distinctly and imperiously screaming for the eyes' attention. Our gaze is attracted magnetically by the few details emerging from under the umbrella hinting to the person hiding underneath, sheltering herself from the scorching heat of the afternoon sunlight. The silhouette of a woman, sitting on an armchair is, most likely, what we are shown...though her face will, forever, remain a mystery.
Holly and Daisy are Cumming - oil on canvas - 100x100 - 2014 - 72DPI
Tinted with an orange hue, with red shadows and yellow highlights, four characters emerge from this painting: from left two right we see what appears to be the figure of Mickey Mouse, then two overlapping naked women with a provocative sexual attitude and lastly, further to the right, the round half figure of what appears to be Santa Claus. Doing it "doggy style' with and 'in your face attitude', the depiction of these characters together in a phantasy orgy setting comes in contradiction with their original initial role - the one of children friendly role-models. A nudity which questions our ideas about what is obscene and what is just vulgar.
Bastet in the water_120x100 cm - oil on canvas - 2016_private collection
White Knight, 130x100cm, oil on canvas, 2020
As you must have noticed, this artwork depicts a horse taking a bath in a luxurious tub, in a full setting of luxury: an absurdly funny and impossible idea. Part of a continuing series of horses, this piece is centered around the idea of gold - a sense of weirdness and ambiguity exudes through-out this painting as the artist uses the dark background and red tub to further emphasize this scene of lavish luxury. "Beginning in 2015 I have had this idea of using horses in absurd or impossible situations," said Dominic Virtosu, "it all started because of a stupid story I once heard in which a man was carrying a dead horse on the tram and then back into his house, only to then put it in his tub and claim that he is the only one with a horse in his tub. Totally idiotic story, but the visual, I found, were worth exploring". "I am always painting two or three horses at the same time because I like to explore color schemes and variants" said the artist.
Purple Dreams, 130x100cm, oil on canvas, 2020
As you must have noticed, this artwork depicts a horse taking a bath in a luxurious tub, in a full setting of luxury: an absurdly funny and impossible idea. Part of a continuing series of horses, this piece is centered around the idea of a purple bath - a sense of weirdness and ambiguity exudes through-out this painting as the artist uses pink and purple to illustrate this scene of lavish luxury. "Beginning in 2015 I have had this idea of using horses in absurd or impossible situations," said Dominic Virtosu, "it all started because of a stupid story I once heard in which a man was carrying a dead horse on the tram and then back into his house, only to then put it in his tub and claim that he is the only one with a horse in his tub. Totally idiotic story, but the visual, I found, were worth exploring". "I am always painting two or three horses at the same time because I like to explore color schemes and variants" said the artist.
My Pink is showing_oil on canvas_100x110cm_2015
My decorator is Swiss, 120x100cm, oil on canvas, 2014_private collection
My new Golden Chandelier, 120x100cm, oil on canvas, 2014_private collection
Warm Bath, 110x100cm, oil on canvas, 2020
As you must have noticed, this artwork depicts a horse taking a bath in a luxurious tub, in a full setting of luxury: an absurdly funny and impossible idea. Part of a continuing series of horses, this piece is centered around the warm atmosphere of the bath - a sense of pleasant relaxation exudes through-out this painting as the artist uses warm, soft colors to illustrate this scene of lavish luxury. "Beginning in 2015 I have had this idea of using horses in absurd or impossible situations," said Dominic Virtosu, "it all started because of a stupid story I once heard in which a man was carrying a dead horse on the tram and then back into his house, only to then put it in his tub and claim that he is the only one with a horse in his tub. Totally idiotic story, but the visual, I found, were worth exploring". "I am always painting two or three horses at the same time because I like to explore color schemes and variants" said the artist.
The blue Horse of Happiness_120x120cm_oil on canvas_2015 private collection
Sweet Tooth (get sweet) - 120x100cm - oil on canvas - 2015
Magnetic Horse Fields - 120x100cm - oil on canvas -2016
True Kingdom Color - 100x120 cm - oil on canvas - 2016
Interstellar Candy - 100x120cm - oil on canvas - 2013_private collection
chips, cherries and lobsters_ digital work_100x80cm_2015
True Kingdom - 100x120 cm - oil on canvas - 2016 - Sold- 1500px
the Gap_90x90cm-oil on canvas-2013
Title-needed_100x80-cm_oil-on-canvas_2015_mic
Let Me In - 120x100 cm oil in canvas 2014 _resize
The Buck - 50x70cm - oil on canvas - 2016
Cubic World (oil on canvas, 160x150, 2012) Private Collection
Through my Eyes. 90x90cm - oil on canvas - 2016.
Elephant_Equilibrium_2013_oil_on_canvas_100x80_cm_private collection
Have Faith (90x90cm, oil on canvas, 2017)
On a pink abstract background, riddled with edgy green gradients of color, an astronaut, a pope and a beautiful black female hand co-exist in harmony. A forefront to express the inexpressible - the contradictions that we once believed to be insurmountable and the prejudices that were unbeatable are now just questions in an abstract symbolic universe of possibilities.
Square Behind - 120x100 cm- oil on canvas - 2016 - private collection
Square Behind - 120x100 cm- oil on canvas - 2016 - private collection
Three in a Boat (Rabbits) (oil on canvas, 70x100cm, 2014)
Underwear in Nice (oil on canvas, 100x100cm, 2012) private collection
Balloons (oil on canvas, 100x80cm, 2011)
Multiple Victory 100x100 cm oil-on-canvas-2015_JPG_72_DPI
What is THIS 100x100 cm oil-on-canvas 2015_JPG
YesCats_120x120cm_oil on canvas_2016-private collection
Where it all comes from_90x90cm_oil on canvas_2016
At the Beach (oil on canvas, 80x80cm, 2014)
We are all Unicorns - 120x120cm - oil on canvas - 2016_web
A playful take on the idea of the "Unique". What is unique and what is special in our world today? The artist works with accepted cliches and makes new creative assumptions in order to challenge our received ideas. In a vintage stable, somewhere in rural France, a bunch of unicorns are gathered together - there's Unikitty, Unihorse, Unigiraffe, Unirhyno...all of them coexisting in this spectacular yet banal fantasy of the artists' mind. The thick colors emphasize a feeling of peace, while the strong dynamic composition diagonals point toward something more, something outside our field of perception. Is this something we can relate to? Is it something aspirational? Do we all need to feel special? Is "beind special" crucial for our social and mental survival? This figurative work is medium sized and fits well within any well lit interior - the warm colors express a secret sense of optimism and hope for the future.
In the Bushes_50x70cm_oil on canvas_2015_private collection
Camaro Bear
160x150cm, textiles, plastic collage on canvas, 2015
Winter Landscape (oil on canvas, 80x80, 2014)
Explosion (crayon on paper, 25x25cm, 2011)
Three in a Boat (Rabbits) (oil in canvas, 70x100cm, 2014)
Nature (oil on canvas, 60x100cm, 2014)
BlaBla Colors (oil on canvas, 100x80xm, 2011)
Vegetables 1 (oil on canvas, 100x80cm, 2011)
Sneakers 1 (oil on canvas, 120x60cm, 2013)
Sneakers 2 (oil on canvas, 120x60cm, 2013)
Zen Elephant (oil on canvas, 80x100cm, 2013) private collection
Rabbits and House (acryl and ink on paper, 80x80cm, 2014)