The artwork features a vibrant and bold close-up of a tropical orchid flower. The composition is dominated by a swirling palette of warm colors, including shades of yellow, orange, and red. The flower's delicate petals and intricate structure are captured in striking detail, creating a visually captivating and almost otherworldly effect. The distinctive style and technical mastery suggest this piece may be the work of a contemporary artist exploring the natural world through a highly stylized, almost surreal lens. The artist's intention may be to celebrate the intricate beauty and fragility of this floral specimen, inviting the viewer to appreciate the wonders of the natural world in a new and enchanting way. ...
Tom Allen is a painter who frequently draws inspiration from the natural world. Rather than depicting exotic flora as inanimate objects in still-life portraits, he tries to capture a sense of vitality, drawing inspiration from the flourishing period of plants. This approach alters the relationship between the painter and the subject, as a still life demands concentrated attention on the object's reality, while portraiture involves the rendering of the sitter's likeness as well as their characterisation. In his painting, some of the floral subjects are encountered during Allen's walks around his neighborhood in Los Angeles, while others are found during his travels. He emulates their likeness through photographs taken on his phone, but in the studio, his skill, palette, and knowledge of art history give birth to a personality that belongs neither to the painter nor to his subject. This creates a distinct ontology of painting that resides in a realm of vision that is inaccessible to both photography and the human eye. Allen's paintings are captivating, and the way he captures the darkened blush of a rose or the depth of a bunch of pistils on a bloom reveals a world beyond our own. ...
