Ramiro Fernandez Saus' works include a menagerie of exotic animals and a western family being waited on by servants. Associations with Victorian India spring to mind. It's surprising to learn, though, that the inspiration for his surreal landscapes is Gloucestershire. Saus' past as a sailor also features strongly, and his travels serve as inspiration for the exotic aspects of his pieces.
His jungle scenes are reminiscent of Rousseau's Surprised! but Saus deliberately uses disproportionate figures and hazy brushwork to provide a dream-like feel to his paintings. His works stretch from the natural, such as a sailor reading a book by a field, to the totally surreal, whereby a dog is sitting on a chaise longue in the middle of a jungle.
There is a mixture of styles at work here, both classical and contemporary, resulting in a set of paintings that are familiar yet different enough to set them apart from the work of other artists.
Ramiro Fernandez Saus: Dreams in the Garden is on display at Long & Ryle, 4 John Islip Street, SW1P 4PX until 9 June. Admission is free.
