6 most iconic and mind-bending paintings by surrealist Rob Gonsalves

From all over the world, there have been artists and paintings that have completely changed how people saw art. Be it the impressionist portraits by Claude Monet, or the magical realism in Frida Kahlo’s works, there is something unique that artists gave the audiences of their time.
And one such artist is Rob Gonsalves, a Surrealist painter, who has created some mind-bending portraits and paintings that compel the viewers to view the art twice.And here we mention the 6 most famous and iconic paintings by him that will truly fascinate people.

(Image: Huckleberry Fine Art Gallery/YouTube)

At first glance, ‘Water Dancing’ is just an ordinary painting of a waterfall that is falling from a considerable height with trees around, rocks at the bottom, and a glimmering moon in the sky. But when people look closer, they see dancing women who are giving the illusion of a waterfall. The dancers aren’t just performing, they are so well in sync, not just with the outfit, but also their movement, that they give an illusion of water falling freely when looked at from a distance.

Another beautiful painting by Gonsalves is ‘Arboreal Office’. When seen from a distance, it looks like tall trees in a forest cover with some lights on top, but when you move closer, there is a view of buildings, office spaces with lights shining from the windows. The trees look much smaller than the buildings when seen from up close, and there is a lone man with a handbag approaching one of the tall towers.

Another mind-bending painting by Gonsalves is ‘Big Air’. It shows a bunch of young boys on skateboards, performing their tricks and antics, and the floor looks like it is on a higher or elevated area. Their posture is full of energy and joy, and the slope they’re riding down from blends into multiple roads. There are beautiful yellow leaves on the trees, and young kids enjoying the fall season.

Another beautiful creation, similar to ‘Arboreal Office’ is ‘Light Flurries’. From a distance, it looks like just another forest cover with twinkling stars, a river by the side, and some snowfall over the forest, but when you tread closer to the painting, one can see tall buildings and skyscrapers with the lights inside turned on.
There is also a little boy wearing a thick jacket, playing near the river. And the way the trees and buildings blend together, makes the painting mind-bending.

One of Gonsalves’ most beautiful and unique pieces is ‘Flower Eclipse’. The painting starts with a field of massive blooming flowers that look extremely similar to sunflowers, and the petals stretching wide under the sun.
And then as you look up, you see the sun being covered by a dark celestial body, but its rays shining bright just like the petals of the sunflowers.

Another magical and mind-bending painting is ‘Bedtime Aviation’. In the painting are 3 children, one tucked into bed, another jumping up and down, and the third one flying through the sky as if in a dream. It looks like the dream of one of the children where flying in the air is a possibility and below them are large gardens, agricultural land, water bodies, and more.

(All paintings from: Rob Gonsalves/Official Website)