Robert Ricov
(Australia)
PAINTING
 
DETAILS
Oil on canvas
Dimensions: W76 x H100 x D3.5cm
(W29.92 x H39.37  x D1.37 inches)
2020
 
DESCRIPTION
In this self-portrait I appear three times to represent three aspects of my personality. A back-and-forth, push-and-pull of the darkness and the lighter side.
 
Chaos and control. The endless cycle of self harm through decadence and the discipline needed to abstain. I am on the floor, the lowest of the three, the carnivore—no better than the severed swine’s head at my knees.
 
But poised on one knee there is hope that I can rise. Behind and above me is the drunkard. I rest my hand on my shoulder to steady myself, to support myself, but in vain as it is my lower self that I use as a foundation.
 
I have not yet given up the drink, and I turn aggressively to face my judge. He is behind the other two—the one who judges us all. With extended arm he holds the cup of wine in an attempt to stay its course. We look at each other. We look at ourselves.
 
And I as the judge look myself directly in the eyes, covering my mouth so as to hold my tongue. I allow my gaze and action to say all that needs to be said. The pearls on the ground have been cast before swine.
 
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 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.
 
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