PAINTING
ROBERT RICOV
(CROATIA / AUTRALIA)
 
DETAILS
Giclée print on canvas
(1/9) Limited edition
Hand-signed by the artist
46 x 61 cm
2019
 
DESCRIPTION
Thirty pieces of silver. Three nails. Two crows. One dove. A clock with not two hands, but four. A kind of countdown to betrayal, within the four corners of faith, or the world, or indeed all that is. In this Biblically inspired piece I show the silver coins paid to Judas for betraying Christ, and the nails with which he was nailed to the cross. But at the center a representation of the eternal battle between good and evil. The dove, a symbol of hope, peace, freedom and love, is attacked by a crow, representative of both the positive and negative. But this crow is attacked by one of its own, causing confusion as to what one should believe, or perhaps, confusion about who to trust. Betrayal can be found everywhere, in the animal kingdom as well as in our own human society.
 
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.