PAINTING 
ROBERT RICOV
 
DETAILS
Oil on canvas
76 x 100 cm
2022
 
DESCRIPTION
Ricov explains that he painted this artwork during the pandemic, and that it is deeply weighted with emotion tied to that period of his life. The two sisters in the composition simultaneously represent the elites, the medical establishment, and the virus itself. Their malicious gaze never meets the viewer’s eyes, not out of guilt or an attempt to evade blame, but out of indifference. Nothing exists for them beyond their own agenda.
 
A syringe twists and contorts beyond all integrity, yet still succeeds in piercing the golden heart of humanity, symbolizing countless hearts, each filled with innocent intentions. From that heart, arteries extend and connect to a second, more toxic syringe, which engages in conflict with a unicorn. The unicorn represents healing, positivity, and transcendence.
A cherub is shown being choked by the golden arteries while pulling on a shroud, scattering hibiscus flowers throughout the scene. The pink hibiscus flowers symbolize different forms of love, adding another emotional and symbolic layer to the work.
 
BIOGRAPHY
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 Guillermo Lorca and Martin Wittfooth mentored him.
It wasn’t until a few months after that he realized how profoundly this experience affected the direction of his work.