Open Book.

Scenes From The Opening of Favio Moreno's The Metaphysical at The Public Trust.

Favio Moreno hasn't always been exactly forthcoming when it comes to his work.

But, at the gallery opening of his new “The Metaphysical” exhibit at The Public Trust, each and every piece felt was strikingly personalized.

“These two are very personal to me,” the artist says, pointing out a pair of pieces in his show. “My mother is a very fair-skinned person. When I was a child, my she used to bathe us with rocks to try to keep our skin from darkening at the elbows.”

This, for the most part, is how his whole opening goes. Walking along the gallery walls, visitors perplexed by certain paintings find Moreno all too willing to explain his work.

It's an interesting exhibit. On small wooden canvases, the artist has painted vital organs as if they were gems and crystals. There's a heart, a brain, lungs — all pieces of Moreno that he has come to realize scientifically define him. On opposing walls, two paintings challenge each other directly; each is of a different palette, one lighter and one darker. The aim is to address Moreno's own mixed skin tones. Self-reflection is everywhere.

Which is, in part, why Moreno, who has always been known for his work under his The Bodega Negra moniker in the past, is showcasing “The Metaphysical” under his given name. The artist plans to continue with his more graphic- and illustrative-inclined works, but “The Metaphysical,” he explains, is his opportunity to share his deeper introspection as a human being first and an artist second.

It still rings true to his style: The use of pop color and gold in these new works proves just as alluring as in his past productions, even if features for “The Metaphysical” are cleaner and more minimalistic. Here, Moreno used simple hard-edged techniques in his painting so as to craft complicated conversations about health, creation and destruction.

Within “The Metaphysical,” Moreno portrays himself as slightly challenged by his existence — as a religious man and as a transient being. Each piece hanging on the gallery walls is a figurative piece of Moreno himself, from birth to cancellation.

On-lookers stand close to each painting, transfixed, before moving on to the next and continuing to examine closely and decipher the hidden messages within each. The work, albeit sensitive, carries a beauty.