The paintings of Victor Grasso are both surreal and ordinary, erotic and innocent, eerie and filled with light. Based in Cape May, New Jersey, Grasso’s work is heavily influenced by the sea, one of his principal muses. One of the many things that makes Grasso so fascinating as a contemporary painter—in addition to the complex unconscious worlds he uncovers—is his mastery of old Renaissance painting techniques: specifically, chiaroscuro and sfumato. Thematically, his work centers on an appreciation of nature and humanity’s participation within it; he experiments with “form and void,” adorning his subjects with sea life and contrasting their materiality and sensuality with vast and empty backdrops. “I think life is full of quirkiness and odd things that most people don’t see,” he explains in a fascinating interview with Beautiful.Bizarre. “Call it wonder or imagination but life is much more beautiful when it’s bizarre.” We agree. Visit Grasso’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to follow his fascinating and ageless work.

Images © Victor Grasso

Via Bleaq