Rob Gonsalves (1959-2017) Canadian, Magic Realist Cityscape Acrylic on Canvas. Depicts a late-working office employee with a corner office, with towering skyscrapers outside and one like an Egyptian-style art deco sculpture mysteriously jutting into the room. Signed, copyrighted, and dated '99 bottom right. Title and more information including medium written on back of stretcher: "The Light of a Late Night." 

Condition: Good. 

Overall Size: 32 1/2 x 36 1/2 in. 

Sight Size: 23 1/2 x 27 1/2 in. 

Robert “Rob” Gonsalves was born in Toronto, Ontario on July 10th, 1959 to Portuguese immigrants. As a teenager, he was inspired both by the majestic landscapes of his native Canada and art of Progressive Rock album covers, particularly groups like Genesis, Yes, and Gentle Giant. In high school he began experimenting with drawing and painting images that incorporated surrealism and fantasy elements, eventually including elements of the Victorian architecture and urban environment he was surrounded by. He pursued a degree in architecture at Ryerson Technical University, where he learned about manipulating perspective. This led him to attend Ontario College of Art and Design for a year, but he left after his shift into depictions of magic realism earned him disdain from professors who sought to enforce a more classic style. He worked full-time as an architect in Toronto in the 1980s while painting trompe-l’œil murals and theater sets, but after achieving national acclaim in 1990 at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition he left his firm and devoted himself entirely to painting. Some critics compared his style to that of Salvador Dalí or René Magritte, and his works typically depict two scenes with visually similar features that mingle with each other in often alarming or unsettling ways. Gonsalves exhibited at Art Expo New York and Los Angeles, Decor Atlanta and Las Vegas, Fine Art Forum, as well as one-man shows at Huckleberry Fine Art, Marcus Ashley Gallery in South Lake Tahoe, Hudson River Art Gallery, Saper Galleries, Discovery Galleries, Ltd., and Kaleidoscope Gallery. In 2003 he created Imagine a Night, a book featuring sixteen paintings. This led to commissions as an illustrator, as well as a sequel called Imagine a Day which won the 2005 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature Illustration. Tragically, Gonsalves suffered from mental illness and ended his life on June 14th, 2017. His widow and fellow artist Lise Carruthers created the website robgonsalves.live in 2018, dedicated to keeping his legacy alive. In 2019 a 4-foot-high black granite plinth was installed on his gravesite at the Necropolis Cemetery in Toronto, with each side featuring a different porcelain reproduction of a Gonsalves painting. His work continues to inspire and intrigue budding artists and collectors, and his story has become a flash point in contemporary discussions surrounding mental health support systems for artists and their families.

Good.