Artwork Description

Inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, Ascent reflects the very beginning of the epic journey. After first reading the text in English and later listening to it in Italian, David Hovan immersed himself in the poem’s original rhythm, intensity, and emotional force. This deep engagement led his imagination into Dante’s cave—the symbolic threshold between darkness and awakening. Through charged brushwork and rising movement, the painting captures a moment of emergence, where tension, uncertainty, and the promise of transformation converge. Framed Size: 15 × 15 in
Signature: Artist signed
COA: Gallery Letter of Authenticity included

Ascent

ByDavid Hovan
Available

Acrylic on Board, 2023

12 x 12 in | 30 x 30 cm

Artist Biography

David Hovan is a Vancouver-based artist and writer whose practice spans painting, literature, theatre, and film. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, he studied in the Middle East and the United States, earning a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts, followed by doctoral studies in art history, theory, and criticism at the University of Illinois.
David Hovan is a Vancouver-based artist and writer whose practice spans painting, literature, theatre, and film. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, he studied in the Middle East and the United States, earning a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts, followed by doctoral studies in art history, theory, and criticism at the University of Illinois.

His painting practice centres on abstraction as an exploration of memory, identity, and perception. Working through layered surfaces, colour, texture, and gesture, Hovan investigates the shifting relationship between what is seen, what is remembered, and what remains unresolved. His work moves between expressive intensity and quiet restraint, allowing form and meaning to emerge without imposing a fixed interpretation.

His paintings are held in collections throughout Canada and internationally.

View David Hovan's CV

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