with love, ron francis

The oh so talented Australian painter Ron Francis (born 1954).
I consider him to be the opposite of Edward Hopper. Where Hopper’s paintings are powerfully silent, nostalgic, inviting and reminds you of a calm Sunday morning during the summer, Ron Francis’ paintings filled with tension, a sprinkle of thriller and makes you feel like you shouldn’t be there. As if you’ve entered the wrong room at a party. Your first instinct is to just turn around and get the fuck out of there, but.. What is actually going on in here? So you stay. Curiously intrigued and trying to figure out the dark contours and shadows in the room. What are they saying, what are they doing? But then it turns out that it was a good idea of you to stay since you ended up having one of the best nights of your life. I’m totally not speaking from experience.

The paintings forces you to reflect and dares you to think outside the box.
Each piece of art more captivating than the last, filled with amazing details and his spectacular talent of being able to portray the emotions that he wants the viewer to experience when laying their eyes on his work.

I can’t remember how I discovered the work of Ron Francis, but I’ve been down a rabbit hole ever since and I’m having fun over here! Here are some pieces that I absolutely adore:

Hope (2024)

For Gods sake, leave that girl alone!

Girl with a pick

Whaaaat muuuurdaaaaaaahh?

Kate (2022)

Nope.

Dad

Hi?

Under the house

How I found out

The long goodbye

”In a dream, I had to be away from home for a couple of years because of war.
The time seemed to be around the second world war, and although I hadn’t fought, I had returned home
to find it desolated, as if it had been abandoned while I was away.
Inside I found my wife who had died long ago.
This is probably one of the most technically difficult paintings I have done.”

Vacuum Cleaner

When it’s going down in the neighbourhood and you’re too nosy to mind your damn business.

Ghost Valley

This painting reminds me of when my best friend told me that one of her cousins, when he was a small child, used to see a ghost in the shape of an older man quite frequently whenever they would visit their summer house. The ghost would sometimes also sit on the roof, but would at the same time just look at him.
Isn’t it beautiful?!

Tree Museum

Because why not?

All images are from Ron Francis’ website.
© All rights to the images, music, clips, and other materials used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. This post and website is for appreciation purposes only.

Other artworks that I’ve written about: Lover of art
Botticellis La Primavera
In a roman osteria
La cama Inglesa
Judith beheading Holofernes
Anguish