by Patrick Ogle
There sure is a great deal of 8th generation pop art out there. Likewise a bizarre amount of imitation of art that, it is highly likely, was intended as a joke.
Money talks so someone must have bought the garbage for it to be imitated.
The perfect antidote for garbage art is Cernude Arte (Coral Gables). They show Cuban artists from masters to contemporary artists. This year, as always, they showed a who's who of Cuban artists going back decades. The two pieces here by Mariano Rodriguez and Demi come from 1944 and 1987 respectively. The choice of these photos was random and more based on the fact that Mapanare has run innumerable pieces on Cernuda (type their name into the search section on the site). These artists seemed under represented.
La Finca is oil on wood and was part of a solo show by the artist in 1944 at the Lyceum in Havana. In the same year his work was shown as part of a group show , Modern Cuban Painters, at MOCA (NYC). The piece, like many Cuban paintings of the era, has a strong influence from the Paris school but there are twists on that theme. Cuban iconography abounds in the work. His work also has a strong Mexican influence. Find out more HERE.
Demi was born in Cuba, then as a youngster she moved to Puerto Rico. Nine years later she came to the mainland United States. There is obviously a mix of abstraction and the figurative in her work which often relates to children. There are odd juxtapositions but they don't seem to be unsettling. They are more like the imaginings of a child. Find out more HERE.
Below the Cernuda works are paintings by Lou Ros shown by Robert Fontaine Gallery (Palm Beach). These two pieces were tucked right by the passage between Art Miami and Context and are easy to walk past. Stop and have a look if you go to the last day.
When you read about the French painter, he lives in Paris, you will see the words "figurative expressionist" and "abstract" quite a bit. While these are certainly expressionist (at least in the basic definition of the word) they are representational and lovely little pieces.
There sure is a great deal of 8th generation pop art out there. Likewise a bizarre amount of imitation of art that, it is highly likely, was intended as a joke.
Money talks so someone must have bought the garbage for it to be imitated.
The perfect antidote for garbage art is Cernude Arte (Coral Gables). They show Cuban artists from masters to contemporary artists. This year, as always, they showed a who's who of Cuban artists going back decades. The two pieces here by Mariano Rodriguez and Demi come from 1944 and 1987 respectively. The choice of these photos was random and more based on the fact that Mapanare has run innumerable pieces on Cernuda (type their name into the search section on the site). These artists seemed under represented.
La Finca is oil on wood and was part of a solo show by the artist in 1944 at the Lyceum in Havana. In the same year his work was shown as part of a group show , Modern Cuban Painters, at MOCA (NYC). The piece, like many Cuban paintings of the era, has a strong influence from the Paris school but there are twists on that theme. Cuban iconography abounds in the work. His work also has a strong Mexican influence. Find out more HERE.
Demi was born in Cuba, then as a youngster she moved to Puerto Rico. Nine years later she came to the mainland United States. There is obviously a mix of abstraction and the figurative in her work which often relates to children. There are odd juxtapositions but they don't seem to be unsettling. They are more like the imaginings of a child. Find out more HERE.
Below the Cernuda works are paintings by Lou Ros shown by Robert Fontaine Gallery (Palm Beach). These two pieces were tucked right by the passage between Art Miami and Context and are easy to walk past. Stop and have a look if you go to the last day.
When you read about the French painter, he lives in Paris, you will see the words "figurative expressionist" and "abstract" quite a bit. While these are certainly expressionist (at least in the basic definition of the word) they are representational and lovely little pieces.
La Finca by Mariano Rodriguez
Liquid Life by Demi
First Haircut by Demi
Golden Tailed and Plum Throated by Lou Ros
Julio Larraz is a Cuban-born artist and these pieces were shown by Duque Arango Galleria (Medellin). Larraz began his art career as a cartoonist and caricature artists using his middle name, Fernandez. He is a painter, draftsman and sculptor. He is one of the most prominent living Latin American artists.
His father was a journalist who was imprisoned by one of the pre-Castro regimes and was owner/editor of the newspaper, La Discusion. When Castro came to power freedom of the press ended and the family, ultimately, came to the United States. You can find out and see more at juliolarraz.com.
His father was a journalist who was imprisoned by one of the pre-Castro regimes and was owner/editor of the newspaper, La Discusion. When Castro came to power freedom of the press ended and the family, ultimately, came to the United States. You can find out and see more at juliolarraz.com.
The king of diamonds by Julio Larraz
The scout near Har Kardem by Julio Larraz
Louis K Meisel Gallery (New York) showed Montauk Sail and Keep Palm + Carry On by Susan P. Meisel. The gallery is best know for representing and championing some of the great photo realist painters of the 1970s and beyond. These are , of course, not that. These are bright, fun paintings by half of the Meisel gallery's team. She is also a photographer and sells high end real estate. I hope the real estate is her HOBBY because her paintings are lovely.
There is a hint of Carribbean art here but it isn't anything derivative. There is something quite "New York" about it even with the palm trees. You are allowed to create fun art. Not everything has to be a pile of skulls.
There is a hint of Carribbean art here but it isn't anything derivative. There is something quite "New York" about it even with the palm trees. You are allowed to create fun art. Not everything has to be a pile of skulls.
Montauk Sail and Keep Palm + Carry On By Susan P. Meisel
"G-sim" Seyeon was shown by Galerie Bhak (Seoul). This piece is acrylic on canvas. The brushwork is complicated and perhaps the concept is too. Is it an explosion or a bouquet of flowers? It has elements of both doesn't it? It likely has nothing to do with one of these things but it is truly a striking painting.
Below Seyeon's explosive work are paintings by women painters whose work comes from an era when women artists were dismissed. Which , it is sad to say, wasn't all that long ago.
Tabletop Still Life by Mercedes Matter (left) was shown by Dean Borghi Fine Art (New York). This piece is oil on canvas board and is from 1940. Matter was an American artist, born in Philadelphia, in an artistic family (her dad was Arthur B. Carles). She studied with a who's who of American modern painters, including Hans Hoffmann. She assisted Fernand Léger with his well-known WPA funded murals. She taught at NYU and Pratt and was also a writer. Yet, somehow her work was, and is, less well-known that some of her male contemporaries. Her art is of similar quality to some of her teachers, including the one mentioned above (which is high praise). Find out more HERE.
Sin titulo (Aves) by Sofia Bassi was shown by Pablo Goebel Fine Arts (Mexico City). The painting is oil on masonite. "Sin titulo," of course, means "untitled." Bassi was a Mexican surrealist painter, born in 1913 in Veracruz. She didn't start painting until the mid 1960s and was self taught. Look at her work and marvel at that. The technique is impressive, refined.
She also murdered her son-in-law.
There is some indication he may have had it coming. Find out more about the non-art part of this HERE. There are better sources but none that could be found readily online in English. This version is garbled and seems to be a poor translation of something but the idea general story comes through.
Below Seyeon's explosive work are paintings by women painters whose work comes from an era when women artists were dismissed. Which , it is sad to say, wasn't all that long ago.
Tabletop Still Life by Mercedes Matter (left) was shown by Dean Borghi Fine Art (New York). This piece is oil on canvas board and is from 1940. Matter was an American artist, born in Philadelphia, in an artistic family (her dad was Arthur B. Carles). She studied with a who's who of American modern painters, including Hans Hoffmann. She assisted Fernand Léger with his well-known WPA funded murals. She taught at NYU and Pratt and was also a writer. Yet, somehow her work was, and is, less well-known that some of her male contemporaries. Her art is of similar quality to some of her teachers, including the one mentioned above (which is high praise). Find out more HERE.
Sin titulo (Aves) by Sofia Bassi was shown by Pablo Goebel Fine Arts (Mexico City). The painting is oil on masonite. "Sin titulo," of course, means "untitled." Bassi was a Mexican surrealist painter, born in 1913 in Veracruz. She didn't start painting until the mid 1960s and was self taught. Look at her work and marvel at that. The technique is impressive, refined.
She also murdered her son-in-law.
There is some indication he may have had it coming. Find out more about the non-art part of this HERE. There are better sources but none that could be found readily online in English. This version is garbled and seems to be a poor translation of something but the idea general story comes through.
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