Disappointed storks (2017)

Exceeding the confines of a vast canvas through its spectacular assault of unrestrained expression and brilliant color, Disappointed Storks by Gheorghe Virtosu encapsulates the full force of artist’s abstract vernacular.

For thousands of years, in many cultures around the globe – from Egypt to Scandinavia – storks were associated with family and the human soul. The artist uses metaphorism of this bird in a bold and even illustrative manner to convey the feeling of despair, evolved from the inability to make a real difference to the epoch we’re living in. This feeling is embodied in the semi-abstract conglomerate of forms arranged in the outline of heads and wings of two storks in the upper left corner. The downward direction of their beaks and the tear-like shapes of eyes are clearly decoded as the sign of disconsolate mood. Storks become the animalistic avatar of the ancestors, before whom we hold responsibility for keeping the vital balance and fail to complete our obligation.

The abstract painting composition is soaked with the melancholic tune. It is manifested in the static symmetry of masses, allowing to grasp the sorrowing sense of stagnation. At the same time, it has no core, no visual center, similar to the loss of confidence in times of disappointment. Such composition is in accord with the monotonous violet-brownish coloring, enlivened by the sparks of warm orange and fresh blue. Even sharp lines are perceived as the visual ‘sighs’ that breath the hope out of the characters.

Gheorghe Virtosu painted stork approach might seem slightly over-dramatic. However, the very idea of addressing the concept of disappointment is very important. Disappointment can be the full stop after which we give up. But it can also be the cathartic experience that eliminates the sense of apathy and triggers the new wave of activity, the new courage to face the system. And through his abstract painting the artist proves that the choice and how to use the potential of this emotion is ours.