Original artwork description:

What are you thinking of when the words "Apex Predator" are mentioned? Are you the predator or are you the prey? How can you tell? In the natural food chain, the "apex predator" has the meaning of "predator at the top of a food chain, without natural predators".

Through this work, Dominic Virtosu questions roles and meanings - when we read the title, we might, at first, be inclined to look at the young woman in the picture and attribute it to her. However, what if the predator is us? Looking through the dense foliage, lurking in the shadows, emerging from the bush towards the innocent prey?

The duality of meaning derives from the works' deliberately ambiguous title.

A painting which shows Virtosu's mastery of his craft - playing with contrast to highlight the character's presence in a green and lush environment, the artist is using the entire array of painterly effects to convey a message that simultaneously speaks of danger and tenderness.

Materials used:

oil paints on canvas

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