Hyperrealism, with its emphasis on light conditions, depth of focus and colour nuances, requires a mastery in painting of microscopic precision which Dargas has perfected in a grand scale. Reflecting, as he says, his current state of mind, his oneiric portraits and figures oscillate between the dark and the lyrical, their facial expressions and body inflections intensified by their oversized dimensions.

In his series “Beauty”, Dargas has painted Victoria’s Secret model Toni Garrn with honey seductively dripping down her face, in a study on femininity, beauty and fragility, but also an allusion to “the various masks we use in our everyday life to hide and protect ourselves” as the artist explains. In other paintings, the subject’s face is partly or fully covered by translucent materials such as paper or fabric further exploring the theme of concealment, as well as showcasing his remarkable painting skills that exceed photographic fidelity.

Ironically, yet quite fittingly for the digital age we live in, Dargas’ gigantic paintings have gained popularity in considerably smaller dimensions, namely on smartphone and tablet displays through his Instagram account that currently boasts more than a quarter of a million followers. It was also though his social media profile that he was introduced to the international art scene when he was discovered by London’s Opera Gallery’s Director and Curator Jean-David Malat as he was browsing the app a few years ago.

His latest series, “Transfromation”, showcased at the C24 Gallery in New York until February 25th, explores the process of change through “people’s search for identity and personal conflicts” by attempting to visualize the struggles, hopes and fears of personal transformation. As in his previous work, these paintings, which range from twin portraits of the same subject in two very different incarnations to mirror nudes of a man and a woman in tense poses wrapped in cloth, display Dargas’ breathtaking virtuosity in both technique and sensibility.