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Anthony Mastromatteo
Wonder, or The Plane of the Invisible - blue trompe l'oeil oil painting

2022

$17,700
£13,165.81
€15,414.56
CA$24,697.51
A$27,637.21
CHF 14,430.85
MX$339,770.70
NOK 182,061.83
SEK 171,319.28
DKK 115,004.43
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About the Item

In the trompe l'oeil panel painting, "Wonder, or the Plane of the Invisible," a comic cut-out of Wonder Woman sits between two spatial planes—the top, very flat plane is cut out in the shape of a plane as a play Wonder Woman's famous "Invisible Plane." The silly way the comic book character would sit in an imaginary seat flying through the air would force the artist to wonder, “how do you represent an invisible plane”. Here, we see a bright blue canvas, sprinkled with glittery paillettes; an outline of an airplane beneath an outline of the word “SKY”, an infantile depiction of the sun made of masking tape, and finally, the hero, Wonder Woman, her comic clipping taped onto the invisible plane. A very believable, naturalist blue sky with puffy white clouds is visible through the letters and the invisible airplane. It feels like we can reach into the invisible plane to find the natural world…yet atop the plane is an old cartoon of the first female superhero. She overlaps the realistic atmosphere, and even casts a shadow onto it. The planet’s orbit is dedicated to the sun, and all living things need the light to survive…yet this most important element is made up of a crude array of tape strips, asymmetrical, and even torn in-half. This sun refers back to Pablo Picasso’s sun in his painting “Don Quixote”. And finally, the rich blue backdrop that makes up 90% of the painting, is coated in glitter – a medium which children adore, and artists are ashamed to use. It creates a sense of kitsch – because what realist painter would dare to utilize glitter? Yet, this painting is a meditation on the concept of Wonder. Although the image is perplexing and forces one to search for meaning, ultimately the viewer will feel the phenomenon. Aristotle said that “Wonder is the start of all Philosophy”. Upon reflection we find the word SKY leaves a sense of wonder on our tongue. And even when you turn the lights off, and the image goes away, this canvas will still glisten. 31 x 31 inches, framed Artist Bio The arts have been an integral part of Anthony Mastromatteo’s life for over 25 years. A Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Princeton University in 1992 led to a five year position at Christie’s auction house in New York City in the American Paintings, 19th Century Paintings and Maritime Paintings and Objects departments. As his exposure to the art world expanded he began studying the practice of art after work at the Art Student’s League in New York City. In 1997 he made the transition to full-time art study at the Water Street Atelier, a school of art practice based on the methodology of the French Academy and the French atelier system of the 18th and 19th centuries, under the tutelage of Jacob Collins. In 2002 he finished his studies and made the transition to working as a professional artist. He has worked solely as an artist since that time. He currently has representation with galleries in New York City, Los Angeles and Cleveland. Anthony currently resides with his wife and daughter, Stella and Alba, in Akron, Ohio.

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