“Selucid the Hellenistic Fresh Prince, Pixelated with Pointer”
200 x 200 cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2020
In “Selucid the Hellenistic Fresh Prince, Pixelated with Pointer,” the artist plays with notions of identity and anonymity, merging classical aesthetics with contemporary visual elements to interrogate our perception of history and culture. The monumental canvas depicts a Hellenistic-inspired bust, reminiscent of Greco-Roman statues, but the image is disrupted by a large pixelated square that covers the subject’s face, adding a layer of mystery and irony to the work.
The choice to pixelate the face evokes modern digital culture, where faces and identities are often blurred to protect privacy or depersonalize iconic figures. This artistic gesture introduces a tension between past and present, between the timeless grandeur of classical sculpture and the ephemeral aesthetic of the pixel, symbol of information culture and the digital age. By combining these elements, the artist seems to ask questions about the erasure of individuality in a world saturated with images and technology.
The addition of the mouse cursor, pointing at the pixelated face, reinforces the idea of interactivity and choice. This can be interpreted as an invitation to click and “unmask” the character or, conversely, as a comment on our limited power in the face of the overabundance of images. The cursor here acts as an intrusion of the virtual into the tangible world of traditional art, further emphasizing the gap between these two realities.
The treatment of the bust is meticulously detailed, with shadows and lights that give an impression of volume and three-dimensionality, accentuating the tension between the tangible and the virtual. The sculpted strands of hair are painted with striking realism, creating a striking contrast with the rigid geometry and flat colors of the pixelated area.
“Selucid the Hellenistic Fresh Prince, Pixelated with Pointer” is not simply a juxtaposition of ancient and modern elements; it is a profound reflection on the impact of technology on our understanding of history, culture, and individuality. The work questions how historical figures are perceived through the prism of modernity and how images, whether ancient or contemporary, are manipulated, recontextualized, and sometimes emptied of their original meaning in our digital world.
