Hernan Bas’ paintings are tinged with a nihilist romanticism, born of literary intrigue and a passion for historical painting. Exploring the possibilities of dandyism in the modern world, Bas’ bitter-sweet subject matter ranges from Greek mythology to contemporary genre painting, always derived from his connoisseur’s predilection for the poetic and empyreal. Funerals and cemeteries appear often in Bas’s work, inspiring thoughts of Keats gothic malaise and the tragedy of lost love condemned to an eternally angelic slumber.