Austrian artist Martin C. Herbst pushes the limits of traditional painting. Most of his delicately executed paintings expand to the third dimension without denying their two-dimensional origin. His artistic career has been shaped by his lifelong interest in the human face and figure and by the question of how to transform a portrait of a certain individual into a transpersonal and touching artwork. He understands portrait painting as a search for universal validity that is somehow larger than life. Inspired by the Italian Mannerism, Baroque, and Rococo eras, Herbst works with highly polished stainless steel to reconceptualize this figural style. In his Hidden Treasure series, painting and mirror are amalgamated, transforming tangible paint into an ephemeral and virtual manifestation. As a result of the complex folds in the mirrored aluminum, most of the actual painting is only seen in its reflection. More, the painting seems to take life and even become animated, because the part of the mirror producing the reflection is uneven. As soon as the beholder begins to explore its secrets by moving from side to side, the work unfolds a surprising array of subtly shifting reflections of the painted image. These reflected paintings are a unique contribution to the centuries-old art-historical and philosophical theory of painting as a mirror of the world. Herbst has shown internationally, including exhibitions at the Austrian Cultural Forum Budapest, Art Miami, Wanroooj Gallery Amsterdam, Zemack Gallery NYC, Mark Hachem Gallery Paris, galleries in Lebanon, Canada, Spain, and more.