Joseph Renda Jr.’s Surreal Trompe-l’œil Portals Frame Esoteric Scenes

In the paintings of Joseph Renda Jr., trompe-l’œil windows, arches, and blue skies meet in surreal settings. His René Magritte-esque canvases celebrate nature and the uncanny, sometimes infused with a tinge of humor, to encourage an appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. Instead of focusing on the subconscious, like the 20th-century Surrealists, Renda emphasizes elements of our surroundings—birds, gardens, flowers, and expansive landscapes—which nevertheless possess rich symbolism.

Birds, for example, have traditionally represented freedom, optimism, and connections to spiritual worlds. Plants, storms, tools, and myriad other motifs carry their own inherent meanings, from notions of growth and transformation to balance and justice. Situated within windows and archways, we’re invited to peer into—but not quite enter—an esoteric world. And the blue sky sometimes cracks to reveal what may, in fact, be a façade with who-knows-what beyond what we can see.

a surreal painting by Joseph Renda Jr. framed by a stone arch motif, with a bird bath in the bottom and a blue sky — “Rough Waters”

Renda’s recent stone arch pieces are included in a three-person show at Vertical Gallery, The Scenic Route, alongside Jerome Tiunayan and Laura Catherwood. The exhibition runs through September 27 in Chicago. Find more on Renda’s website and Instagram.

a framed painting by Joseph Renda Jr. of a blue sky and green landscape with a crack in the sky — “The Sky Is Falling”

a surreal painting by Joseph Renda Jr. framed by a stone arch motif, with a bird looking up at a white tree with a tire swing hanging from it — “Memory”

a framed painting by Joseph Renda Jr. of a blue sky and green landscape with a large table lamp lighting up the center — “Where the Day Meets the Night”

a surreal painting by Joseph Renda Jr. framed by a stone arch motif, with a bird perched on an hourglass leaning in the sand against a blue sky — “Passing By”

a framed painting by Joseph Renda Jr. of a blue sky with a bunch of roses that have human noses — “Stop and Let the Roses Smell You”

a surreal painting by Joseph Renda Jr. framed by a stone arch motif, with a bird seated in a crack in the blue sky — “Perspective”

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