Lot Essay
The works of Lugas Syllabus tackle the ironies and contradictions of contemporary society and the dualities that exist in the psychological realm of ordinary individuals. These complexities are distilled and re-articulated in a pulsating and refreshing visual language. The pictorial world in his paintings may seem illusory, but are in fact allegorical constructions that are revealed to hold deep truths.
For Lugas Syllabus, hopes and dreams form our perception of the true meaning of beauty in life. In the present lot, a sprawling sea of sunflowers, highly inspired and influenced by the Impressionist maestro Vincent van Gogh, fills the expanse of the entire lower half of the canvas, with warm colours of a predominantly yellow and orange hued palette. A shark appears in the background, fins showing, swimming through the sea of sunflowers, symbolically a guardian of hopes and dreams. With the use of gold leaf in his depiction of the sky, Syllabus captures the radiance of the field of sunflowers, reflecting its warmth and joy.
The Sunflower paintings by van Gogh are profound yet simplistic in terms of the motifs being so easily recognisable and appealing to viewers. The original intention was to paint twelve of them to decorate his yellow house at Arles, but he completed only five, which are on display in noted museums around the world. Paul Gauguin, who lived with van Gogh in his yellow house at Arles for more than two months, asked if he could keep one of the Sunflower paintings in exchange for some studies he had left behind. Gauguin thought the sunflowers were 'a perfect example of the style that was completely Vincent'. Sunflowers is a powerful painting. Using just three tints of yellow 'and nothing else', van Gogh achieved a glorious harmony of colours and the art is considered timeless. Syllabus appropriates this same notion, breathing new life into his very own depiction, and leads us to examine our preconceived notions of beauty in Loving Vincent - The Sweetest Dream Ever. As questioned by the artist: "Do we only value something based on its physical appearance, beauty, or only according to our understanding?”
For Lugas Syllabus, hopes and dreams form our perception of the true meaning of beauty in life. In the present lot, a sprawling sea of sunflowers, highly inspired and influenced by the Impressionist maestro Vincent van Gogh, fills the expanse of the entire lower half of the canvas, with warm colours of a predominantly yellow and orange hued palette. A shark appears in the background, fins showing, swimming through the sea of sunflowers, symbolically a guardian of hopes and dreams. With the use of gold leaf in his depiction of the sky, Syllabus captures the radiance of the field of sunflowers, reflecting its warmth and joy.
The Sunflower paintings by van Gogh are profound yet simplistic in terms of the motifs being so easily recognisable and appealing to viewers. The original intention was to paint twelve of them to decorate his yellow house at Arles, but he completed only five, which are on display in noted museums around the world. Paul Gauguin, who lived with van Gogh in his yellow house at Arles for more than two months, asked if he could keep one of the Sunflower paintings in exchange for some studies he had left behind. Gauguin thought the sunflowers were 'a perfect example of the style that was completely Vincent'. Sunflowers is a powerful painting. Using just three tints of yellow 'and nothing else', van Gogh achieved a glorious harmony of colours and the art is considered timeless. Syllabus appropriates this same notion, breathing new life into his very own depiction, and leads us to examine our preconceived notions of beauty in Loving Vincent - The Sweetest Dream Ever. As questioned by the artist: "Do we only value something based on its physical appearance, beauty, or only according to our understanding?”