A curious oil painting by artist Erik Thor Sandberg. In the “personal interests” section on his Facebook page, Quantico, Virginia-based artist Erik Thor Sandberg includes the following “things”: dead things; naked things; vintage things; antique things; disturbingly cute things, and acutely disturbing things. All of which rather accurately describe Sandberg’s art, which borders on the genre of Magic Realism. The term was first used by art historian and photographer Franz Roh to identify artists operating within that realm following the Post-Expressionism period, a term used to describe artistic movements that occurred following WWI, which was also coined by Roh. If this is at all confusing to you, that’s okay. Let’s just say that the calling card of an artist associated with Magic Realism includes the incorporation of realistic images and scenarios into fantasy-based situations. Which is exactly what Sandberg excels at—creating beautifully weird and deeply disturbing paintings of people in peril or impossibly bizarre, often erotic-themed situations. Sandberg’s nudes are uncompromising and at times preposterously proportioned. Perhaps they are missing a limb or trapped in an impossible-looking contraption or circumstance. His work also possesses distinct dream-like qualities—or perhaps more accurately a nightmare that...