Painting on Oil, Puerto Rico Art

The Parallel Color of Orlando Vallejo

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La Ultima Frontera 34 by 40 Oil on Canvas.

 

COLOR—Color— Red, blue, white, black, orange… The most important thing that an artist should do when working a new painting is selecting the right combination and pattern of colors.  Select a black and everybody know a statement is about to be done, pick a cobalt blue and expect lots of  attention from your audience, But mix them all up  and combine them in perfect harmony and you will definitely end up with something special and to me this is Vallejo’s Work.

 

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To me is very characteristic on his work to expect tons of paint in the canvas applied in such a way that you can visualize a cluster of texture in the work, always black will be present in his work, while Orange is another typical color of his work,  I even consider it his signature color. But I’m my opinion the style that  Vallejo has opted for is still a mystery to me, I still have my doubt  because Artwork that takes liberties, altering for instance color and form in ways that are conspicuous, can be said to be partially abstract, but to me this is true in only some of Vallejo work. Sometime I feel that he’s work has a Abstract touch to it, other day I even see Expressionism on his work but maybe this is part of the charm.  When evaluating some of his work I can definitely see that he has a rapid but heavy brush stroke the kind of stroke that glides on the canvas, while leaving a plaster of oil behind. Here is and example of what I mean:

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Marina
8 by 10 oil/canvas

 

I love the way Vallejo seeks to depict the not so objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses of that objects, recreating the sensation in the eye that views the object, rather than delineating the details of that particulate object, this to me is key in all of his work. I can explain this with the next painting note that is a very calm and simple work, not huge on its side but the object is very characteristic of the fluidity of his compositional work, Hey this is not a very technical painting but is a extremely powerful work, to me is depicting a two face, the kind of face that us human have…Yes our two faces the one that we put on every morning and take off every evening. The nice colorful side of our face versus dark not so nice side of us, which is represented with a Powerful tone of black. Continue reading The Parallel Color of Orlando Vallejo →

Painting on Acrylic, Puerto Rico Art

The Gicondo Painting of the Month “March”

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EL Gicondo by Aby Ruiz 2012

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EL Gicondo by Aby Ruiz
16 by 20 oil/canvas

The MonaLisa is arguably the most famous painting in the world, PERIOD… There’s been a lot of speculation about who the woman in the painting was. It’s thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, but art historian have suggested  that this painting was a man dress  like a woman other have even attribute that this was clearly a Self Portrait of Leonardo Davinci but only the author knows the true relationship.

I feel comfortable telling that this painting is the most parodied work of art in the world,Is being recreated by Andy Warhol, Romero Britto, Banksy, Fernando Botero  and even Picasso in a Drawing. So is no expiation that in Puerto Rico we could pass the chance to do our version of it. La Mona Lisa like thousand of person refer to, it is a charm for every artist to work on because EVERYBODY will recognize it.

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Last year I contact an artist called Aby Ruiz and ask him if he could paint me a Puerto Rican Mona Lisa version and boy did he do a good work. The work was a 16 by 20 canvas work called El Gicondo. The painting was a simple black and white painting with a light Touch of pink. At evaluating the work, the composition of the work is simple you can see a typical gaze of the Monalisa like in the original but with out the meticulous work of the background giving it a very modern look to it. The face clearly is no exemption to the original but the simple fact that the painting is not a Woman is the key point for its interpretation. Its a Man

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This Is a Painting that commands a lot of attention, once you see this art work by Aby you won’t be able to see it with the same eyes like the first time. To me I really like this painting because to me a good artwork is the type of work that comes at you and for a second slaps you in the face and demands your attention immediately and this painting is surely no exception  to this rule. This Painting has the potential to bring a smile and laugh from any spectator in the room while maintaining the composition of a great work of art. Continue reading The Gicondo Painting of the Month “March” →

Painting on Acrylic, Painting on Oil, Puerto Rico Art

The True Art of a Puerto Rican Self-Portrait.

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THE SELFIE

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Self Portrait
Julio Rosado Del Valle

The self-portrait is without doubt one of the deepest analysis exercises which an artist  can do. Normally it  Implies that the artist must have total knowledge of his own anatomy  and the ability to translates and recreates the characteristics of his own face, which is not a simple task in the point of view of a psychological aspect of making a precise and pure example of what he consider correct of him. A good advice that I can give to any art collector is, that always buy the ” not so typical pieces” why? This is very simple to answer supply and demand. Self Portrait will always be Rare because not to many artist practice this and  most of the time they are not for sale, artist tend to keep items like this. I have always love to buy Self Portrait to me is a Aspect where you can learn how an Artist looks at himself and this is a great plus to me when acquiring a piece.

MYRNA-BAEZ[2]
 Self Portrait of Myrna Baez
I ask you this question can a self-portrait be the mirror of the spirit and feelings of the artist? According to a dear friend of mine Domingo Garcia this is true.  For example you can determine the particular mood that the artist was feeling at the time of the painting just based on simple characteristic of the background in the self portrait, dark background is very characteristic of a powerful statement piece that the artist want to express, like this painting by Domingo Garcia which is a very simple but dark representation of him at that moment. Note that the composition was a very simple one, only texture can be subjective of the anatomical structure of the face like for example eyes, nose and mouth. The main point of focus is based on that yellow plaster of paint which is the only bright color that can stand in this work, is like the artist put that bright color there so when you see the painting you intentionally focus your attention between his eyes and just concentrate in that point.

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Self Portrait Domingo Garcia
Paper/ Oil From 2000

Many art critics have written that the  Main Component which moves the artist to portray himself is undoubtedly linked to a typical “narcissistic” act,  But to me self-portraits  must be carefully staged to show us only what the artist wishes to project, which most of the time will only display something…Feelings. In other cases the self-portrait can be a very effective form of advertising for an artist, especially for portrait painter. Now!!! Sometime you will find Self Portrait that do not hold no resemblance of the artist itself, Is more of a Integration of the Portrait and a his Particular style to end up with a Mixed Work of art like  this Painting by Arnaldo Roche Rabell which to me breaks all the basic rules of a Self Protrait.  I think that this was a Reason why I bought it HAHAHA Continue reading The True Art of a Puerto Rican Self-Portrait. →

Painting on Acrylic, Puerto Rico Art

The World of Wichie Torres

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Semilla Erotica
24 by 30 Canvas

Tell me, If you go visit Ponce and ask any Ponceno who is the best artist in Ponce alive you WILL get the same answer over and over again, Wichie Torres. In my opinion He’s a great humble artist, which with confident I can say he’s the best in the manipulation of bright colors and texture.  He’s technique mainly consist of palette and short brush stroke of plaster painting which is very  indicative  of his Work, Is so Indicative that you can see a Work by Wichie from a mile  away and you can still determine is an original work by him. His work are with out doubt complex, making the integration and  incorporating   impressionist techniques as well as surrealistic elements to his “costumbrismo” paintings. Here are three examples of this technique

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Abstract of a Woman Body
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Fuego en el Campo

This Piece is without any doubt one of his best work of Fires. Just look at the beauty in the composition of this work with subtle color while maintaining the Focus in the main theme which is in the center of the bright red fire color.

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La bomba

 Wichie Torres is a Titan not only  in the art world but in real world, many people do not know this fact but he’s is a survivor of not one but two heart transplants which in my book as a soon to be general medical practitioner is a huge plus!!!! It is clearly that God has bless him in other area of his life now getting back to the art, jajaja  If any person asks me, which artist is the best and safest  investment  in art, I will tell them to buy a work by Wichie Torres, I still to this date haven’t seen a person that doesn’t love his work. In every great art collection that  I seen  I have always expect a pieces by Torres, now my favorite theme by him is Definitely the Quijote HE’S THE BEST CONTEMPORARY ARTIST in Puerto Rico that can Master EL QUIJOTE theme no question asked.

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Quijote de la Esperanza
20 by 24 paper

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Painting on Oil, Puerto Rico Art

Julio Rosado Del Valle: The Father of Contemporary Abstract Painting

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“Abstraccion” 22 x 30 Mix Media Collage 1970

For many art historians and collector, the decade of the 50s was considered the golden age in Puerto Rican Art. No other decade in Puerto Rican art history has been able to reproduce the caliber of artists like we saw in that decade. For example: Myrna Báez, Francisco Rodón, Rafael Tufiño, and Augusto Marín, among others.

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“Self Portrait” 1993 Oil/Paper 5″x7″

Francisco Rodón worked in the portrait territory, Lorenzo Homar had the title for Master Painter, and Julio Rosado was considered the father of the abstract movement in Puerto Rico, and I need to say it: what a TALENT he had for it!!! The kind of talent that will be very, but very hard to surpass by other artist in the future. Julio was a key figure in Puerto Rican art because he was among those who paved the way for innovative approaches and experimentation in painting. I consider him something special because, at that moment in time, Puerto Rico was being observed and evaluated by art critic and writer Marta Traba. She expressed within her writings that almost every artist in Puerto Rico, with the exception of few, was working in the same theme, which at the moment was “Costumbrismo”, over and over again; while others were doing what she called “the easy way out”, meaning they were imitating American art.  Julio Rosado Del Valle was clearly an exception to this critic.  On her book “Propuesta polémica sobre arte puertorriqueño”, she wrote that Rosado Del Valle was, perhaps, the only Puerto Rican painter of continental stature in Puerto Rico.

Now, let me show you an example of Julio Rosado’s work for 1959. You will see a glass cup in a simple black pattern of oil.

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La Copa
16 by 20 Oil/Board
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Signature

In my opinion, the composition of his work was superb, making a great integration of different colors in the pattern with black bold lines and simple elements of figurative abstract reasoning, while maintaining a modern abstract / “nice to the eye decorative pattern” LOL. I noticed that, as time went by, Julio Rosado’s technique didn’t change much, but his work started to look more colorful than his earlier work, where black was the predominant color.

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La Sandalia Serigraph

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Painting on Acrylic, Puerto Rico Art

Puerto Rico Pop Art by Mary Tere

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If I gave you 3 Qualities of a Painting and ask you to tell me what kind of art does it belong, could you do it? Bright Color, Simple Lines, Hard Edged Composition.  What if I told you that what I’m talking about is POP ART will it ring the bell? ahhh??? In Puerto Rico??? Nahhh Come on thats a Gringo Movement thats started in the 1950s  RIght???? Well think Again because There One, oh and is a SHE. Here name is MaryTere.

Is funny to mention this because in Puerto Rico the art scene has been dominated by men, but Pop Art is a movement which has been well Avoided in Puerto Rico and still has been greatly represented by MaryTere. Pop Art Is a Fun Movement in the art World,  which I really love the Vibrant Rich Color and Simplicity of the Work specially the black outlines, bold colors and its tone. I think this is the quality that makes it so simple that  every person can enjoy it and Mary Tere is no exemption to this Rule.

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Mary Tere

It is said that this art  movement was started in the U.K others tend to say in the U.S, which for the purpose of this blog Is not important but what I do consider important is that Puerto Rico being such a small territory, We can Proudly say that Pop ART is not dead in our little Island. Art critics in the last 20 years have try to banned this Movement by saying that this is not true art is a mechanical process which can not be consider real art, but in some painting you can surely see the complexity of the work like this  example which in no matter do I consider it easy nor lack of talent. Remember  Never to  Forget that art is what you like, not what an art critic say is Trendy. Because if Pablo Picasso  can Pull it off anyone can surely do the same

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Mi Musica 32 by 42 acrylic / canvas
Mary Tere

About Two years ago I asked Mary Tere for a portrait of my GirlFriend, I was a little Anxious because I really didn’t think that she was going to like it, luckily she did like it, but I bring you this because there a point to all this, The painting was a 12 by 16 canvas work and I really was impressed by all the small details it had, because I realize that is a great tactice to use bright color with lots of bold black lines making it simple but beautiful at the same time, which made me understand that this is the basic  core of Pop Art,  simplicity with ultra high bright colors jajaja.

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Jennifer 12 by 16
Mary Tere

I created this blog to help bring art to people who don’t go into galleries or museums so they can visualize something different, and come on!!!! NOT  many people will understand those ” scientific words” like  NeoExpresionism or Cubism but I know that Pop is a simple word that can express this style of art, and I really think that Artist like Mary can help promote art by starting from basic and igniting that small curiosity in everyone of us, so we can finally see that you need a Andy Warhol painting to feel like you have a great piece of art, because Puerto Rican art can be pushed to the top if we the people only realize the MEGA talent that we have in our small island  is at the same level as American or European Art. Continue reading Puerto Rico Pop Art by Mary Tere →

by Joey Medrano