DV Unicorn 

Alex Gross painted this surreal image in oil on canvas sometime after 1968. He deploys a high degree of polish; the rendering of form, the blending of tones, and the precise detailing of surfaces—all are meticulously achieved. Gross is clearly engaging with a tradition of painting that prizes hyper-realism. But the painting's effect lies precisely in its combination of this skill with a highly irreverent sensibility. Darth Vader astride a unicorn in a tulip field, roller skates on his feet, the Death Star looming in the background – it’s absurd. Yet the artist’s labor-intensive technique lends the image a certain gravity. Gross's approach invites us to consider the relationship between craft, pop culture, and perhaps even a critique of the commercialization of our childhood fantasies. It is a striking piece of visual engineering, reminding us that the artist’s hand is still a powerful tool, even in our digital age.