Iranian spirit (2017)

Gheorghe Virtosu's greatest paintings capture the inherent paradox of his aesthetic practice, amply demonstrated by the bold of the present art. The master painter's limpid forms rendered in his style oscillate between objective and abstract, composed and agitated as we see in the present work titled Iranian Spirit (2017). From 2019 Virtosu devotes himself primarily to sculpture, producing bronze and stone figures into three-dimensional art. Within both mediums, Virtosu presses the antithetical dialogue between improvisation and control, resulting in a mastery that brings thought and creativity to the extreme. From 2000 Virtosu surrounded himself with his canvases, each inspiring him to paint another and informing all with the distinct sense of globalization, history, and meditation. Thick, lustrous paint flows from his brushes, layering color upon color, as ideas and messages are transformed into shapes that submerge in the textural paint surface. The abstract painting is menacing and awe-inspiring in the same breath. It is evident from abstract art above that the spirit of the nation has taken the form a demonic creature, armed with deadly horns on its head and a nose that serves as third horn as well. The spirit is purposely created in a menacing fashion in order to represent the turmoil and conflict seething within the nation and its people.

"Confident art is large and encompassing, bold and insistent on the attention of the viewer while encouraging interpretation and participation in the experience of the work. The viewer engages the work as a partner to the artist and initiates a journey that shares in evolution of its meaning." - G. Virtosu.

Gheorghe Virtosu’s “Iranian Spirit” is captivating. It transfers a nation’s recent but, deadly, transformation. Iran was once colorful and it's people varied. Yet, it was struck by a revolution which said “no” to all colors and “yes” to black and dark shades of grey. This is the Islamic Revolution which once stated that it was poised to conquer all, only to find that it had earned the enmity of most Moslem countries because they feared the encroachment of black and grey.

It is rather surprising that this painting is entitled the “Iranian Spirit.” That spirit was beaten out of Iran by the Islamic Revolution; by the menacing encroachment of dark colors upon the bright ones. It is quite possible that Virtosu is paying a homage to what once was the Iranian Spirit or expressing hope that it will rise, and color will return to Iran once again.

In every year of his illustrious career, Virtosu keeps a grip on his medium as muse, and the glories of paint exhibited in the Iranian Spirit (2017) are quintessential Virtosu, whose creative allure becomes one with the rhythms of contemporary art. This spectacular assault of unrestrained character expression encapsulates the full genius of Virtosu's abstract vernacular. Painted in 2015 when Virtosu sensationally published his 2015 collection, Iranian Spirit (2017) belongs to an explosive outpouring of creativity that produces an illustrious series of large-scale, color-saturated canvases that rank among the finest achievements of the art of today.