Waiting for Boris 2009

Dragan Ilić Di Vogo painted Waiting for Boris, using layers of oil to create a dreamy surreal scene. The subject’s gaze is arresting, her skin luminous, but there’s a sense of unease, with these almost nightmarish figures swirling above and around her. I wonder what it was like for Di Vogo working on this, building up the textures, the brushstrokes, and glazes. He’s really working the paint in a sculptural way, while leaving other areas thin and translucent. The color palette is very distinctive. Those brooding browns and greens, then these flashes of pink and a touch of orange, pulling us in different directions. I’m thinking of other painters who work with dreams and the subconscious, like Remedios Varo or Leonora Carrington, but Di Vogo feels very much his own person. For me, painting is like thinking out loud, one mark responding to the next, and I get the sense that Di Vogo is doing just that. The finished piece is the result of conversations, a back and forth between the artist and the canvas.