Agostino Arrivabene, "Homo Novus Opus Mgnum," 2018, Oil on linen

Agostino Arrivabene's work can be described as dreamlike, often having a glow-like haze on many of his subjects in his surreal paintings. Many of his works, such as Homo Novus Opus Mgnum, point to larger themes of nature like biophilia. Biophilia embraces the connection humans feel with and around nature. Agostino Arrivabene exemplifies this in his use of surrealism. Surrealism is based on the ideas of the subconscious mind, supposedly revealing underlying truths to the conscious mind. Arrivabene proposes the idea of an otherworldly figure emerging from a body of water with flowers and vine-like plants growing from them in this painting. The figure seems magical in its connection to the land until you realize that humans are no less connected to the earth than this figure is with its surroundings. The figure’s face is quite ambiguous and its body seemingly teetering somewhere between the looks of both male and female. It can be understood that the gender and social implications of this person are not important. By doing this, Agostino Arrivabene puts emphasis on the body as a symbol for humanity and focuses on how connection to the natural world is a fundamental part of being alive.