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Meet the contemporary inspirational artist Gheorghe Virtosu
A true Virtosu signature, the spirit of modern art
24 June '19
Gheorghe Virtosu artist abstract art

by Alexandra Osadkova

24 June '19

Meet the contemporary inspirational artist Gheorghe Virtosu


A true Virtosu signature, the spirit of modern art

When talking about abstract art, we usually think of something completely detached from the reality, chaotic and irrational. However, looking into the essence of this creative phenomenon, one can notice that the very roots of Abstractionism are deeply connected with the surrounding existence. The material world starts tracing its images and patterns in our minds since the first moment we have opened our eyes.

Composition, harmony, proportions, light, colour, line, texture, mass, movement – all these are the elements of the ‘visual dictionary,’ composed by our physical sensations. Thus, the interaction with art objects is largely based on the ability to recognise the infinite manifestations of the material world in this or that image, even in the most abstract one.

Abstract art doesn’t deny Life but transforms it into the ‘artistic reality,’ which is no less true and haptic than the reality itself. 

A work of art is a world in itself reflecting the senses and emotions of the artist’s world.

Hans Hofmann

Meet the artist - Gheorghe Virtosu

Being a self-taught artist, Gheorghe Virtosu still managed to grasp that subtle notion and embody it in his oil painting.

At first glance, his works are purely abstract. The compositions consist mostly of the fluid forms intertwining with each other and floating over the painting surface. However, our mind immediately recognizes biomorphic shapes in them. This approach reminds of the abstractions by famous abstract artists of the 21st century as Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Miró. Both of the artists were inspired by the interest in natural sciences, especially in embryology, zoology and microscope observations. Biomorphism allowed them to mute the rational side of our psyche, which often overshadows the pure voice of the animated matter.


Unlike Kandinsky or Miró, Virtosu doesn’t deny the rational side of art: each of his composition has a title, which immediately refers to some archetypes, stories or social concepts. Thus like Pablo Picasso, the master accepts narration as an essential part of his abstract works.

The titles create the bridge between his art and a viewer, giving the key to the interpretation of the images.

Paradoxically, Gheorghe doesn’t oust but welcomes the reality into his paintings.

adam and eve famous artist Zainab bint Muhammad (2017) contemporary inspirational artist
 Adam and Eve (2017)  Zainab bint Muhammad (2017)

Titles

Reading the titles of his canvases, one can be surprised with the variety of the subjects, as they embrace everything, from religion (both Christian and Islamic – Adam and Eve, Zainab bint Muhammad) to the prominent figures of the modernity and past (Winston Churchill, Henry VIII of England), and highly topical or permanent themes (Pride parade, The source of life).

However, all these subjects are united with the atmosphere of tension and desire to reveal certain conflict – the ‘stress point,’ as they call it in Physics.

Having a biography full of dramatic and difficult situations, Gheorghe Virtosu doesn’t try to reject and forget it – he courageously faces his inner challenges and sublimates the life experience into aesthetic form.

As Stansilav Jerzy Lec once wrote in thesys Best artists 21st century - “You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories.”

Winston Churchill (2017) famous abstract artist of the 21st century Henry VIII of England (2017) best artist 21st century
Winston Churchill (2017) Henry VIII of England (2017)

Energy

Such vigorous energy is skillfully depicted with the baroque-ish visual language of Virtosu’s abstract painting. The artist conveys the sense of drama and action through the complex and vibrant painting texture, done with loose, gestural brushwork, and intensive palette with the predominant red, black and blue colors. The canvas becomes the substance the artist uses to ‘sculpt’ the image.


The brush can touch the surface delicately, or attack it with a swiping gesture, leaving tangible furrow-like traces. In order to amplify the sense of contradiction, he captures those bold, improvisational brushstrokes within the clear, well-thought outlines of geometric drawing. The latter resembles stained glass, adding the somewhat decorative flavor to the master’s works.

Pride Parade (2017) contemporary art The source of life (2017) contemporary abstract art
Pride Parade (2017) The source of life (2017)

Dynamics

Gheorghe Virtosu’s pieces prove the connection between Objective and Abstract. Leonardo da Vinci noted that, if our vision can grasp landscapes and faces in the accident blots, the same way it can ‘deconstruct,’ eliminate the integrity of an object’s image. And that purified natural form becomes the basic artistic material for the painter.

Nevertheless, Gheorghe Virtosu doesn’t copy the natural forms but rather follows their dynamics and movement: sudden twists of the line, compositional pauses, colouristic bursts are consonant with the natural processes of birth, growth, and decay. The abstract artist blurs the borders between ‘narrative’ and ‘non-narrative art,’ asking us

What is the reality, if not one of the most abstract things in the world

Original abstract art

Virtosu lives and works in London, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Miami. The artist focuses on his knowledge experience in his artwork. He depicts social phenomena and characters in a unique abstract style. His work carries the stamp of authenticity.

The iconic painting series of Prophet Muhammad Daughters broke records in 2017 and became the highest-grossing work by a contemporary UK artist while Pride Parade masterpiece broke records in 2016 in the Netherlands. The artist keeps a low profile, motivating it with a busy schedule. More please read contemporary artist biography.

About author Alexandra Osadkova was born 1984 in Kiev, Ukraine. She studied at National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture, Kiev. Educated in Ukraine and the US. Lives in Los Angeles. Modern Art. Contemporary Art. Exhibition Designer, Writer. E:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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