Poesha

Contemporary Dutch master Tjalf Sparnaay (1954) is leader of the Megarealist art movement. Enlarging everyday objects, his giant fried eggs gained worldwide fame. His earlier work ‘Poesha’ is now on the market. This is a rare opportunity, as Sparnaay’s paintings hardly ever come up for sale. ‘Poesha’ presents a cat in deep sleep lying next to grapes on top of a Greek column. The bunch of grapes must have been part of another still life: the cat must have replaced other ingredients. At first sight the image is classical – but then questions need answering. What was displayed before? Food compositions are usual in still life painting, with its origins in the 17th century. Has the cat gorged on the food, explaining his deep sleep? How has he managed to get on top of the high column in the first place? Surrealism is visible in more works by Tjalf Sparnaay. The Dutch artist created ‘Poesha’ in 1990. Earlier, he painted Amsterdam street scenes. Not long after, shiny parts of Harley Davidsons, also a red sports car on the moon. Then came the iconic fried egg paintings and the giant hamburgers, enlarged ‘foodscapes’. His egg against a golden background, dedicated ‘to all fried eggs I’ve painted over the years’, has been called ‘almost religious’. The Post-Modern Times (2013) commented: ‘Tjalf Sparnaay's paintings hit the retina like bolts of lightning in a clear blue sky. What he calls Megarealism is part of the contemporary global art movement of Hyperrealism.’ Sparnaay’s metaphor paintings are sold for serious money.