Title
Round
Oil on panel
24 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches
Estimated Value Range:
$4,000 - $7,000
Starting Bid: $2,000
Bidding increments: $250
Many of Thomas Frontini’s allegorical images are set near the sea. In this exceptional work, the sailboat is the powerful subject, standing proud and strong as small elements play on the sand in the foreground.
Frontini (b. 1967, Canada) creates paintings that resonate with anyone who cherishes the tranquil beauty of lake and boat life. His work blends the serenity of nature with dreamlike, fantastical imagery, capturing both the calm and mystery of the natural world. Using surrealist techniques—detailed foregrounds layered over atmospheric backdrops—Frontini constructs immersive scenes that juxtapose contemporary objects with historical references. His compositions explore the magic in the mundane and tap into the transformative power of the subconscious, creating metaphors for human experience and meditations on the tension between fantasy and reality.
Influenced by his Italian heritage and a deep interest in art history, Frontini’s palette and technical approach reflect a cross-temporal dialogue that merges past and present. Towering landscapes stretch around intricately rendered flora and fauna; thick clouds and cliff faces house futuristic, miniature habitats. Abstract forms glow with light and distance, offering glimpses into imagined futures. The work feels both grounded and otherworldly—rooted in tradition but aimed toward speculative potential. Through careful symbolism and measured ambiguity, Frontini invites viewers into a world where the seen and unseen coexist, and where rituals, memories, and nature intertwine.
More:
Thomas Frontini
Artist Statement
"Fantasy and reality are always clashing in one's consciousness, particularly in dreams. Despite technological advances, humans will always rely primarily on basic instinct. My paintings depict the cyclical nature of life, the tendency for humankind to continually return to past tendencies. I often incorporate shrines as a subject in my work to comment on how societies evolve—moving away from insignificant rituals to more enlightened ideas—but in the end, the rituals continue. The shrines are not destroyed; they are simply transformed. Through these images, I attempt to portray the way that fantasy and reality coexist, often in the most unexpected and surreal forms."
About the Artist
Thomas Frontini received a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has exhibited widely across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Solo exhibitions of his work have been held at venues including the Richard Levy Gallery (Albuquerque, NM), William Busta Gallery (Cleveland, OH), and as part of the Venice Biennale satellite programming in Italy, coinciding with the release of his monograph.
His work has also appeared in group exhibitions in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Santa Fe. Frontini’s paintings are included in several prominent private and public collections, such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Korea, and the Cleveland Clinic Collection in Ohio.
Selected Awards
Sara Jane Pyne Materials Grant, Ohio State University (1992)
Jurors Award, Chattahoochee Valley Arts Museum (1991)
Award of Excellence, Ohio Watercolor Society (1990)
