“Rainbows at the Edge of Sorrow” by Remus Grecu

YUSTO / GINER is pleased to present the first exhibition of Remus Grecus in Madrid:

Rainbows at the Edge of Sorrow.

The new exhibition by Romanian artist Remus Grecu, his first solo show in Madrid, presents a series of paintings that hark back to the traditional typology of female portraiture. Saša Bogojev —in his curatorial text— explains how numerous masters, including Velázquez, Goya, Leonardo da Vinci, and Picasso, practiced this genre. Now, in the heart of the 21st century, Remus Grecu revisits this model through a contemporary lens, opting for a striking beauty constructed from a dialogue between Renaissance heritage and modern tools specifically, Artificial Intelligence.

Bogojev outlines how Grecu was initially inspired by masters such as Ghirlandaio and Lorenzo Lotto, seeking to capture a polished aesthetic that is now bolstered by technology. This results in a plastic idealization of beauty; the female muse becomes an imperturbable figure accompanied by equally timeless elements of still life, such as fruit and flowers. The Romanian artist’s technique stands out for its vibrance, intense colors, and silky finishes. He has traded his former earthy, Byzantine palette—once blended with Western Modernism—for a hybrid of AI-generated “glitch” artificiality and Western Classicism.

It is this hybridization—the blending— of these styles, infused with the influence of Voltaire’s fading grace in Candide that achieves such a timeless appearance. Bogojev describes Grecu’s female subjects in hieratic poses resembling porcelain dolls, painted in interiors and surrounded by flowers, fruit, and mutant beings that seem plucked directly from the works of Bosch. The artist seeks to highlight the gap between reality and its reflection, utilizing pseudo-representational and impossible elements. Similarly, he employs visual glitches and symbolic references that rupture the harmony, warning of the fragility behind the flawless image.

Furthermore, the exhibition highlights the way Grecu merges the primary genres of figurative painting—portraiture, landscape, and still life—into dense, layered compositions. The female figure anchors identity and emotion; the landscape provides a cosmic dimension reminiscent of the classical Weltlandschaft (world landscape); and the objects and fruits introduce symbolic and temporal cues. Consequently, each painting functions as an autonomous universe that seduces through beauty while inviting reflection on the illusion of perfection and the distance between the representation and contemporary reality. These works create moments that allow us to look beyond the ethereal “Rainbows at the Edge of Sorrow.”

Yusto/Giner will host the exhibition Rainbows at the Edge of Sorrow, featuring a curatorial text by Saša Bogojev, until March 16, 2026.

About the artist:

Remus Grecu (1976, Bucharest, Romania) graduated in 2001 with a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Bucharest.

Grecu’s work unfolds as dreamlike worlds of the twenty-first century, saturated with color, symbolism, and narrative. His paintings abound with ripe fruit and stylized figures that seem to loat within hybrid spaces, uniquely merging different styles from Art History with contemporary visual languages. Although initially unsettling, these scenes also convey a sense of warmth and intimacy. Echoing the High Renaissance while evoking aesthetics reminiscent of AI-generated visions of dystopian futures, his landscapes —from snow-capped mountains to endless horizons— balance serenity with a restrained, pulsating energy.

Yet beneath this lush, radiant beauty lies a profound reflection on the human condition. Sadness and solitude surface within the visual richness, inviting viewers to contemplate existence beyond its polished veneer. This almost saccharine perfection hints at a hidden world marked by decay, anguish, and poverty, establishing a critical dialogue with contemporary reality. In this way, Grecu uses art as both mirror and disguise for everyday afflictions, coating them in a caramelized sheen that heightens their reflective impact.