The Baron Gilvan, 'Study for Motley Wild'

The Baron Gilvan describes his work as ‘visual opera,’ each painting an act in a larger, ongoing narrative. Son of renowned Tenor Raimund Gilvan, the backstage world of his childhood has seeped into The Baron’s visual language. His painted scenes are not pre-determined, instead developing in an instinctive dance with mark and colour. These narratives are informed by the research that precedes the painting. The Baron absorbs himself in subjects which interest him:  Greek myths, bouffon clowns, Romantic landscape painting, amongst others. The Baron’s cast of characters and archetypes are summoned by this research, blooming from his paintbrush intuitively. His pieces are visceral and fluid, the figures and theatrical backdrops in a state of transformation and movement; dynamic lines revealing the paintings’ internal structures. The Baron enjoys pushing his pieces to the point of compositional collapse: existing in the dramatic tension just before the fall. In this way, his work speaks to the comedy and tragedy of existence: the exploration of mistake and foolishness, love and sadness, and the joy and beauty despite it, communicating what it is to be human.