Cole Raithby's Van Gogh pastiche, Derealization is a stunning oil composition that has brought people to the gallery to view and admire. Now sold to a Christchurch collector. Raithby's personal commentary follows. 

Derealization is a deeply personal piece rooted in my experience with depersonalization-derealization disorder.

Derealization is the feeling that your surroundings are unreal, dreamlike or distorted, while depersonalization is the feeling of being detached from one's self, and/or thoughts.

I have experienced both, but derealization seems to have a tighter grasp. It’s a hard feeling to describe fully without experiencing it, which is why I decided to paint what my words cannot capture.

In this composition there lies minimal form and color. I have used pencil within the layers to create this skeletal feel within the landscape, creating the impression that things are slowly being stripped down to its most fundamental forms. I have paired this with the silence that snow brings, referencing the senses fading and color seeping away into a blank, otherworldly scene

The causes of depersonalization-derealization disorder are not well understood, though genetic, environmental, and traumatic factors may contribute.

Cole Raithby, 2025