Contemporary realism art > “My painting, ‘Infestation,’ is based on a real-life experience I had many years ago,” said Stephanie Deshpande.
“A few months into a new relationship, I visited my date’s apartment in NYC. An exterminator had bombed the room earlier in the day, and when we arrived, the apartment was crawling with dying roaches. I jumped up on a chair, watching the vermin with disgust as they writhed sluggishly on the floor, trying to find refuge.
“This was a harbinger of the end of the relationship and the inspiration for this piece. This painting depicts the nightmarish quality of an infestation. It symbolizes the pervasiveness of something awful hidden under the surface. Cockroaches lurk in the crevices; ordinarily, one only gets a glimpse of the situation, but when the full extent of the problem is apparent, you must confront it.
“Intertwined with the horror of the darkness surfacing is a sense of loss and mourning because what seemed perfect outwardly turned out to be tainted. This revelation marks the end, making way for a new start.”
Learn more about Stephanie Deshpande and her art at stephaniedeshpande.com.
- Visit PaintTube.tv to learn how to paint portraits and figures in the style of contemporary realism, and much more.
- Join us for the next annual Realism Live virtual art conference and study with the world’s best realism artists.
- Become a Realism Today Ambassador for the chance to see your work featured in our newsletter, on our social media, and on this site.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://realismtoday.com/realism-painting-of-the-week-infestation/&media=https://realismtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/realism-art-Stephanie_Deshpande_Infestation_OilonLinen_30x30_2018-scaled.jpg&description=Contemporary realism art > "My painting, 'Infestation,' is based on a real-life experience I had many years ago," said Stephanie Deshpande.){kind=link}