2025, Oil on canvas, 100 x 75cm
The original painting is sold, private collection.
Limited edition prints & artist proofs are available - Enquire.
Night Swimming (2025) is an original oil painting by Australian contemporary artist Joel Rea. The painting depicts a lone swimmer confronting a monumental ocean wave beneath a moonlit sky, while a lion emerges dramatically from the breaking water.
The work continues Rea's exploration of the relationship between the individual and forces vastly greater than themselves. Ocean, weather, animals and isolated human figures are recurring subjects within Rea's paintings, often used to explore ideas of fear, courage, vulnerability, nature and the sublime.
Painted in Rea's highly detailed realist technique, Night Swimming combines an imagined surreal scene with carefully observed natural detail. The original oil painting measures 100 × 75 cm and was completed in 2025. The original is held in a private collection in Padua, Italy.