Exhibition

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Perfect Heart

Henry Royales

June 5 - June 28, 2014

Gallery 2

After exploring the nature of human imperfection in his first one-man exhibit in 2012, Lexicon of Sin, artist Henry Royales now focuses on positivity and purity of heart in Perfect Heart. On view at West Gallery through June 28 are six, oval-shaped oil on canvas paintings, giving art enthusiasts a fisheye view into Royales’s mindset.

As we look closer, we get a sense of the artist’s affection toward animals, as he painstakingly puts all the necessary details to make his subjects speak for the values he wanted to emphasize. Though he uses different creatures to represent his ideas, all the works dwell on human relationships and the basic goodness in everyone. He believes that man is inherently protective of his family, loyal toward his friends, and faithful to a higher being. Such purity of heart is indicative of maturity and a desire to maintain order in the community.

Among the six works, Royales was most inspired to do the piece in which his daughter acted as a model, reading a book while sitting on top of a lion. To Royales, it is a dream location, a summit in which one has acquired wealth, power, and knowledge. Still, Royales sees all his paintings as “unfinished,” works in progress that continue to motivate him to look for more creative ways to express his ideas every time he faces a blank canvas.