Undulating, Surreal Forms: Painting by Osvaldo Mesa
Baltimore-based artist Osvaldo Mesa creates undulating, surreal forms in earthy tones. The artist’s paintings are a jarring mixture of realistic brush work and bizarre, impossible imagery and scenarios.
The majority of Osvaldo’s works seem to center around a mysterious object, floating on a monochromatic or gradient background. These objects are often made up from a number of composite parts, each reminiscent of a real item, but somehow detached from reality. Bits of string, heavy fabric, wood and bulbous, fleshy-looking materials come together to forms odd shapes that suggest human organs or folds of skin.
A gallery of work on Osvaldo's website
Alongside his paintings, Osvaldo also offers sketches for paintings in graphite and other materials. It’s nice to see these simplified forms alongside the final, colored pieces. The slightly muted earth tones and odd forms in Osvaldo’s works are reminiscent of Salvador Dali.