The project “Semantic Hypertext,” within the Xanthopsia collection, is a process-based work that transforms van Gogh’s Portrait of a Man with a Pipe into a philosophical allegory on the origin and transmission of meaning. Using a mixed technique (physical painting and digital animation), the work positions itself as a conversational device rather than a finished art object. Each visual element — the gestural brushstroke, the minute pixel of animated digital paint — is treated as a “node” within a vast hypertext that connects contemporary humanity to its most ancient origins, passing through the tragic and luminous figure of van Gogh. The work questions the very nature of portraiture in the digital age: no longer the representation of an individual, but the mapping of a network of meanings, a palimpsest of gestures and codes.

1. The Work as “Semantic Hypertext”: An Archaeology of Gesture

The title “semantic hypertext” is the philosophical keystone. It shifts the reading of the work from linear contemplation to rhizomatic exploration.

- Hypertext: Traditionally, a text with links enabling non-linear reading. Here, the work becomes a visual network. The brushstroke is no longer just a mark of color; it is a link pointing toward:
- Van Gogh’s original: his technique, psychology, and historical context
- Abstract expressionism: the energy of gesture, the primacy of action over representation (painting itself becomes the subject)
- Primordial code: the allegory of prehistoric humanity, where the act of marking is foundational to consciousness and culture
- Digital code: the pixel, the animation loop, the contemporary trace of our interaction with the world
- Semantic: the study of meaning. The work is not only a network of links, but a network of meanings. It asks: how is meaning created, preserved, and transformed over time? The proposed answer suggests that meaning is never fixed; it is constantly renegotiated in an endless cycle of interpretation and inscription, from cave walls to digital screens.

2. Subrealist Abstraction and the Deconstruction of the Portrait

The use of “subrealist abstraction” is essential. It is not surrealism (the exploration of dreams and the unconscious), but an underlying reality (sub-). Abstraction allows the work to:

- Move beyond anecdote: We no longer simply observe the face of a man smoking a pipe, but contemplate the forces that constitute him — matter (paint), energy (gesture), history (reference to van Gogh), and code (animation).
- Reveal structure: By deconstructing form, the artist reveals the semantic “framework” of the work. The portrait becomes a map of flows and tensions, a field of expressive forces, echoing the essence of gestural abstract expressionism. The act of painting becomes a performative gesture reenacting the original drama of expression.

3. Mixed Technique: Dialogue Between the Primordial and the Digital

The fusion of physical painting and digital animation materializes the hypertext.

- Acrylic Painting on Canvas: The anchor, the primal trace. It represents earth, matter, and the irreversible physical gesture — a direct link to the lineage of painters, from cave artists to van Gogh. Photographing the canvas becomes an act of translation, a bridge between worlds.
- Digital Painting and Animation: The contemporary “re-reading.” Minimal frame-by-frame animation creates a cyclical, hypnotic temporality. It may introduce a form of “glitch,” a digital imperfection echoing van Gogh’s psychological tensions. The immateriality of the digital reflects the fluid and reproducible nature of meaning today, contrasting with the uniqueness of the painted gesture. This hybridization creates a dialogue between permanence and impermanence, matter and information, singular act and infinite loop.

4. The “Xanthopsia” Collection: Vision as a Philosophical Filter

The concept of Xanthopsia (yellow vision) unifies the work. It is not merely a reference to van Gogh’s palette, but a philosophical stance.

- Altered and Utopian Perception: “Yellow vision” becomes a metaphor for a perception that chooses to find light (yellow, positivity) even within darkness and suffering. This deeply resonates with van Gogh’s practice.
- Duality and Coexistence: The work embodies this duality — the coexistence of the organic (painting) and the synthetic (digital), the past (prehistoric humanity, van Gogh) and the present (digital culture), anxiety (the original portrait) and contemplation (the abstract structure).

Conclusion: The Power of Contemporary Reinterpretation

The work “Semantic Hypertext” achieves several things:
- It honors van Gogh by going beyond the image to engage with the radical nature of his practice.
- It redefines the role of the viewer, who becomes an active participant rather than a passive observer.
- It legitimizes hybrid art, demonstrating how digital tools can reveal timeless human questions.

Ultimately, the portrait of this “man with a pipe” becomes the face of humanity itself — a being woven from ancient codes and emerging technologies.

- Tribute to van Gogh: Man with a Pipe (collection: The Barnes Foundation)
- Hybrid digital version: 2160 × 3840 px / 4K MP4 / 192 MB / 8 fps / 1/1 edition on @objktcom