IT is nearly 500 years since Renaissance philosopher Niccolo Macchiavelli penned The Prince, laying bare the far from moral world of politics.

Fast forward to the week following the General Election and it couldn't be a more fitting time for Glasgow artist Frank To to focus on the writer's political theories in his latest collection of work.

The term Macchiavellian is, of course, used to describe deceitful or unscrupulous characteristics and it is this quest for power, by whatever means, that captured the imagination of Frank.

"As human beings we are all influenced by this concept of power. We all want power, it's in our genes," he says.

"We all want to try and control our own destiny. But the other thing with power is that when you are trying to achieve it you start to see things beneath the surface.

"For example, we are all influenced by laws and moralities from religion and humanism. If we lift these boundaries away, Machiavelli shows this is what human beings will do to gain influence and power.

"I have read Machiavelli over the past 15 years and found it really useful, especially during the time of recession, to see how people operate. I wouldn't say I am Machiavallian, though I find his writing fascinating."

The Renaissance period soaks through all nine paintings on show at By Distinction Gallery in Byres Road, Glasgow, with rich tones and textures in the powerful collection.

The actual painting work was all done fairly recently but Frank admits he has spent the past two and a half years researching the subject.

Referencing the work of Leonardo da Vinci and extolling the delights of delving into the Royal Collection in London for his research, Frank then jumps to the contemporary power play in television hit drama House of Cards to bring The Prince into the 21st century.

" I don't think people understand when someone wants power there is something seductive about the whole thing and it can overwhelm them or they can control it to their own needs and purposes," he says.

" People may feel that is quite sinister in some ways but the idea is relevant today. Machiavelli's The Prince is not only used in politics it has been used in the Iraq War - how to get a peace process in a hostile situation.

"So Machiavelli is open to interpretation but it does inspire. People may say it's quite a dark text but I think it was written 500 years ahead of its time."

In a part of the project which perfectly sums up Frank's description of himself as a "self-confessed masochist" he translated The Prince from its original Italian into Old Scots, and then used pieces of text in the paintings.

The atmosphere post independence referendum and ahead of the General Election was a strong influence as he mused over how the texts would have been used at the time they were written by Macchiavelli.

From Frank's research he learned that The Prince reached the court of Henry VIII, and it may have transferred to James V of Scotland, then later James V and possible even William Maitland, secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots.

As well as a study of power and the means of achieving it, Frank's latest work also marks his first solo gallery show in his home town.

He studied art at the University of Huddersfield and gained his masters at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, going on to exhibit in London, New York and across Europe.

The weight of being a Glasgow artists has sat heavy on his shoulders, he admits, waiting this long until he felt his work was of the highest possible standard.

"If I'm saying I'm a Glasgow artist I'm standing on the same platform as the likes of Peter Howson, Ken Currie, and Joe Hargan," he says.

"This is my home town, so I want to make sure that if I am showing in Glasgow the work has to be exceptional."

Children appear for the first time in Frank's work, something he has tried to do before but found difficult.

He achieved it, he says, thanks to the words of a tutor in Huddersfield, who was taught by Lucian Freud at the Royal College of Art, and told Frank to always destroy something that is good to create something better.

Musing over the twist of fate that took the artist to Yorkshire to study, Frank says it could almost have been a Macchiavellian move.

The Prince of Darkness wrote that men can rise or fall on the turn of a wheel. Frank reveals that when he was choosing a university to study he flicked through the UCAS booked and stopped at a random page: Huddersfield.

"I hadn't been there, didn't know anything about the course. If I had never done that I would never have achieved all the things I have," he considers.

" I had a lecturer who was taught by Lucien Freud, I was taught by award-wining artists in London, I met the actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who bought my work. It was almost like a roll of the dice to see what chance would throw up."

A private view of Macchiavelli's Laws at By Distinction Gallery, 100 Byres Road, Glasgow, is on Friday, May 15 from 6 to 7.30pm with a chance to meet the artist. The exhibition runs until June 13.