What’s your pleasure? Go ahead. Reach right in and grab your favorite. Is it a fruity barber pole candy stick? Or maybe a whirlypop? There are lots of gummies, rainbow bites, jelly beans and jawbreakers too.

Italian hyperrealist Roberto Bernardi’s oil on canvas still life sweet treats are vivid, colorful, intricately detailed and technically meticulous, giving new meaning to the term ‘eye candy.’

Bernardi was born in Todi, a province of Perugia, Italy in 1974. He still lives and works there today. He began painting with oils by the age of 13, having been trained in the methods and techniques of the great Italian masters. After graduating from high school in 1993, he moved to Rome, where he worked as a restorer in the church of San Francesco a Ripa.

The following year, he shifted his focus to creating his own paintings, first doing landscapes and portraits before concentrating on contemporary still lifes, favoring a realism closely associated with hyperrealism.

He had his first solo exhibition in 1994, where he gained the recognition of both the public and local critics. He has since had over 15 solo exhibitions worldwide between New York, London, Paris, Detroit and Singapore. His works have also been included in 25 exhibitions in international museums and over 100 group shows in many worldwide art galleries.

Bernardi reached a stylistic turning point after moving to New York in 2004. He lived in Manhattan for a short while, where he was influenced by American culture, and was introduced to the New York art scene and market. He participated in many projects sponsored by American and European collectors, along with other artists of the hyperrealistic movement.

Beginning in 2012 he took part in an international museum tour that began in Germany and then continued in 13 other museums around the world in places like Spain, Holland, and the U.S.

In recent years, Bernardi’s hyperreal compositions have been increasingly influenced by Pop Art, characterized by a love of transparencies and reflections (chrome, plastic, glass, cellophane). In addition to depicting all manner of candies, he’s featured other glossy-textured objects such as magazines, dishes and general kitchenware. In this way he has merged his background in traditional pictorial methods with modern technology.

After photographing his sweet compositions, he begins by hand preparing his canvas by applying eight coats of Gesso di Bologna, then sandpapering the surface smooth. He then primes the canvas before drawing. After he’s accurately drawn the outlines of his objects, he begins painting using traditional oil techniques.

He differentiates his hyperrealistic work from that of early photorealists by citing that his intention is to go beyond simply replicating photographs to imbuing them with personal emotions and sensations.

In case you’re wondering, Bernardi sources his candy from Dylan’s Candy Bar boutiques in the U.S. and Perugina candies in the nearby city of Perugia. He admits to eating a lot of the candy while shooting, especially marshmallows, which he loves. It must take a lot of willpower to keep from eating his compositions 🙂

To learn more, visit Roberto Bernardi’s Official Website. Select paintings are available for purchase via the Louis K. Meisel Gallery (NY), and his macaron sculptures can be found at Liquid Art System.

Enjoy this short interview with Bernardi:

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