PAINTING
ROBERT RICOV
 
DETAILS
Oil on canvas
75 x 120 cm
2024
 
DESCRIPTION
Absintheia is an oil painting by Robert Ricov that captures a quiet, introspective moment within a brothel on the outskirts of a small French town in the late 1800s. Night after night, the woman at the center of the work performs for others, yet Ricov focuses on a rare pause between clients, a moment when she is truly alone, though observed by an invisible cherub.
 
The painting evokes a pensive mood, tinged with shame and reflection. The woman’s gaze falls on a green ring, a personal relic of a past relationship and a reminder of who she once was. The cherub’s unseen presence encourages her to confront long-buried emotions, suggesting the possibility of awakening even in those who believe themselves beyond feeling. Through rich detail and subtle symbolism, the green of the ring echoing the absinthe she drinks, the whisper of fairies and goblins in the background, Ricov explores memory, longing, and the quiet interventions that can shift a life in unexpected ways.
 
BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST
Robert Ricov b. 1973 Sydney, Australia BA 1994, College of Visual Arts, Sydney. Robert Ricov has been living, working, and exhibiting in Croatia since he moved there in 2022. His oil paintings, in a style he refers to as “surreal maximalist realism,” use symbolism to represent themes such as the loss of innocence, betrayal, and hope. In October of 2023, Robert traveled to the island of Menorca, Spain, where he was mentored by Guillermo Lorca and Martin Wittfooth. It wasn’t until a few months after that he realized how profoundly this experience affected the direction of his work. After Robert became finalist in the Toolip Art Contest in Budapest in 2024, he is represented exclusively by the Toolip Art Gallery.