"Patterned Soul" by Bruno Surdo

Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees.

This large-scale painting entitled “Patterned Soul” offers a portrait of a mature sycamore tree at night, perfectly illuminated by a ray of moonlight. Restricting the composition to only a portion of the tree trunk, Surdo accentuates the tree’s abstract form, lingering on areas of unusual shape or texture. The focused perspective depicts the gestural movements of tree branches forking away from the trunk. A “research into the negative and positive space” within a painting, Surdo’s use of light and dark creates the illusion of a branch projecting outwards from the canvas, while others fade back into the darkness. The surrounding bark is wrinkled to suggest movement and tension, the outstretched branch an opposing force to the tree’s slow upwards growth.

Guided by his memory of the initial encounter, the painting attempts to convey the emotional response elicited by the tree. The nighttime scene shows a tree that is poignant yet strong, constant and impassive, employing a loose, expressive style that enhances the potency of this fleeting first impression. Painted in a wide range of neutral colors, the sycamore tree’s realistic form is captured within bold, aggressive brush strokes and literally textured with sand, grit and other unconventional materials.

Acrylic on canvas.