Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Gustavo Fernandes Paints A Surreal Universe Taking Root

Portuguese multimedia artist Gustavo Fernandes portrays a parallel universe in his oil paintings. According to this essay on his work, Fernandes had a difficult childhood and once referred to himself as someone who had lost his roots. Roots are a recurring motif in his more surreal paintings, where grape vines grab hold of mysterious objects, such as spheres, and perform a strange balancing act between earth and water.

Portuguese multimedia artist Gustavo Fernandes portrays a parallel universe in his oil paintings. According to this essay on his work, Fernandes had a difficult childhood and once referred to himself as someone who had lost his roots. Roots are a recurring motif in his more surreal paintings, where grape vines grab hold of mysterious objects, such as spheres, and perform a strange balancing act between earth and water. Some contain religious connotation as in his painting “A Criação da Vinha” (Creation of Vine), where roots embody two touching hands, referring to Michaelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”. In other works, forests are suspended mid-air in blue skies recalling the art of Belgian surrealist René Magritte, besides inspirations like Giorgio de Chirico and Paul Delvaux. Throughout his career, Fernandes has played with his audience’s perceptions between reality and illusion. His universe is presented as both fantastical and realistic with landscapes rendered to accurate detail – he calls it “Fantastical Realism”.


Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Telmo Miel is a duo consisting of Dutch artists Telmo Pieper and Miel Krutzmann, and the two are known for their murals, appearing across the world. Though the pair also regularly produces interior and canvas works, also carrying their sense of layering and surrealism. Telmo Miel's work last appear on HiFructose.com here.
Brin Levinson’s paintings depict worlds in which humans have lived, but now animals seem to rule. These ghost towns, with similar landmarks and industrial vibes to the city the Portland resident calls home, imply that mankind’s abuse of the land and its creatures resulted in its exit. These works appear in a new show from Levinson, titled “Anthropocene,” which now hits Antler Gallery in Portland. The show lasts through Nov. 22. Levinson was most recently featured on HiFructose.com here.
Kyle Thompson is a young photographer on the rise. He began shooting at age 19 in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, and in the last couple years has amassed a substantial body of work that shows a surprisingly adept and concise voice for such a young artist. This work, just released in a book titled Somewhere Else is comprised mostly of self-portraits taken in various abandoned locations found while on a road trip traveling the country.
Nicolas Bruno’s photographs and drawings mix surrealism and unsettling, solitary drama. In his first solo show with Haven Gallery in Northport, New York, the artist offers 17 new works that the gallery says are "transmuted from Bruno's dreams as a means of coping and controlling his sleep paralysis affliction." The show kicks off on February 25 and runs through April 2.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List