To Klimt

Neil Paulino is a painter whose work reimagines art history through meticulous craftsmanship and conceptual layering. His recent oil painting, To Klimt, is a 3x3x0.75-inch piece on wood block that features an original rendering of a Klimt painting, over which Neil has painted a portrait of Gustav Klimt himself. Surrounding the image is an exquisitely detailed, hand-painted gallery frame, blurring the boundary between artwork and object.

By painting both the master and the masterpiece, Neil creates a striking visual dialogue about authorship, reverence, and reinterpretation. His work examines how art lives on through the eyes of those who study and rebuild it—an homage that also becomes an act of creation in its own right.

Rooted in precision and imagination, Neil’s practice transforms classical influence into contemporary conversation. Each brushstroke becomes a bridge between eras, inviting viewers to reconsider the ways we frame and reframe artistic legacy.