Delusions of Illusions 2016

Sašo Vrabič’s “Delusions of Illusions” is an oil on canvas street scene that invites us to consider the social theater of the contemporary city. The work gives us a bird's-eye view of a busy New York street, complete with yellow cabs, delivery trucks, and pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk. Its composition, with the long street vanishing to a far horizon, is reminiscent of Renaissance perspective. Yet the work, made in the twenty-first century, inevitably acknowledges modern life. The title itself speaks to an engagement with the virtual world, and perhaps the way technology mediates our experience of reality. The painting could be read as a comment on the anonymity and alienation of urban life. The figures are rendered in a detached, almost clinical manner, emphasizing their isolation within the bustling cityscape. To understand this work better, one would need to research the artist’s biography, statements, and artistic influences to grasp their specific social commentary.