Art Wynwood Part 4

Duane Hanson.  "Gallery Guard."  American.  Fiberglass.

Duane Hanson's super-realistic gallery guard stood watch and puzzled many visitors.

Ms Laurence Jendell.  "Wrapped Candy."  France.  Bronze.

The "Candy" has become Jendell's signature piece, in marble or bronze or plastic

and in many colors.

Manolo Valdes.  "Regina con Sombrero."  Spain.  Wood
"tThe Queen with a Hat" is based originally on  Matisse's
"Woman with Ostrich Feather Hat," a portrait of his wife.

Carlos Cruz-Diez.  "Op Art."  Venezuela.

Cruz-Diez and Jesus Soto made Op Art almost the national art of Venezuela.  Every

young artist must do some variation.  Soto has died, but Cruz-Diez is still producing works

and is very prolific after 60 years.

Carlos Cruz-Diez.  "Physio-Chromie."  Venezuela.

This is Cruz-Diez' signature piece.  It consist of many thin strips of wood glued to the surface and

 each side of each slat is painted a different color.  So as you walk by the sculpture, it changes

 colors and form.

Soe Young Deoh.  "The Hypocrit."  Indonesia.  Welded Bicycle Chains.

Soe Young has created many works using welded bicycle chains, which he reclaims from

junk yards, or welded chains of various sizes, which he also finds in the trash.  His skill

is impressive.  See detail below.

Soe Young Deoh.  "The Hypocrite."  Welded Bicycle Chains.  Indonesia.  Detail.

Head of "Hypocrite."  Soe Young Deoh.  Welded Bicycle Chains.

Ilhwa Kim.    "Seed Portrait."  South Korea.  Folded Paper.

Kim here uses an ancient Chinese craft, Hanji, to fold mulberry paper into small

packets, then dye them and glue them to a surface in a pattern.

Detail of Ilhwa Kim.  "Seed Universe."  Folded Mulberry Paper.  South Korea.

Shepard Fairey.  "Obey / Peace."  American.

Shepard is one of the leading street artists in America.  He has several

splendid huge wall murals in Wynwood, as part of the festival.  But he earns

a living with his gallery paintings, like this.  This is one of his most famous
works.  If we are told "Do Not Cross" or "Obey Flight Attendants," it
would be even better if we would "OBEY" these signs and keep peace.

Banksy.  "Soldiers Painting Peace Symbol.:  England.
Banksy is the most famous of all Graffiti artists, British but still
anonymous.  He first appeared during the "Aerosol Bomb" explosion
of graffiti art in Bristol, England in the 1980s.  His identity is still unknown,
and he works between London and New York now.  He still paints on
walls and abandoned buildings in England and the U.S. and his works 
are eagerly photographed and disseminated by fans.  Many are on the internet.
This work was first painted on a wall, and there are several different versions.

Keith Haring.  "Pop Shop III."  American. Graffiti Art.  Litho.

Keith began his career by spray painting images like this on subway cars and walls in

New York.  You have to move fast before the police or guards come running, so you

paint simple forms with strong outlines, so people can see it from a distance.

He called subway cars "Moving museums."  Later, he did works like this for galleries.

Keith Haring.  "Pop Shop IV."  Litho.  American.

William Barbosa.  "Blue Arch."  Aluminum.  Colombia.

Barbosa was born in Colombia, but lives and works in Caracas,
Venezuela, at the present.

William Barbosa.  "Red Arch."  Aluminim.  Colombia/Venezuela.

Retna.  "Secrets to Tell."   American. 12 f.t x 6 ft.
Born Marquis Lewis in Los Angeles, Retna is recognized today primarily as a
graffiti artist.  Several of the finest murals in Wynwood, including one seven-stories high,
are by Retna.  His works, whether murals or on canvas, are a special calligraphy
which combines hieroglyphics, Arabic, Hebrew, and his own unique symbols.
This piece is about twelve feet long.

Retna.  From the "Provocateur" Series.  American.

A Gallery devoted to Graffiti Artists.

On the left wall is Ryan McGinniss, straight ahead are four paintings by Robert Indiana,

and on the right wall are two works by Keith Haring, including "Barking Dog."

Robert Indiana.  "Four Signs."  Pop Art.  American.

Indiana uses the form of a traffic sign or perhaps a manhole cover in the street. and then

adds words.  The paintings are both visually striking patterns of colors, but the words
add a further dimension tot ehm.

Joe Black.  "Peace.  10,500 Soldiers."  American.  Tiny Plastic Soldiers

The beautiful orchid form is actually composed of 10,500 toy plastic soldiers.

Joe Black.  "Peace."  Close-up of toy soldiers.

Michael Halsband.  "Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat."  Photo.

Warhol, the Pop artist, and Basquiat, the Graffiti artist, sometimes worked

together on artworks.  They certainly admired each other, and neither

 one was a boxer.  So this posed photo is humorous in intent.

Nelson de la Nuez.  "Chanel No. 5."  Cuban-American.

Nelson was born in Cuba but brought to California as a child.  He was

fascinated with American television, advertising, games, products.

He has made all of these subjects of his paintings. One of his favorite

products is Chanel No. 5.  The dots suggest he knows Damien Hirst

and his famous dot paintings - a product in art.

Miguel Covarrubias.  "Lovers on the Moon."  Mexico.
Covarrubias' was a Mexican painter, caricaturist, illustrator, ehtnologist, and
art historian.

Victor Manuel Garcia.  "Sweethearts"  Cuba  1948.

Victor Manuel Garcia Valdes was a Cuban painter and an early member of the

"Vanguardia" movement of artists who, beginning in the 1920s, combined

European concepts of Modern art with native Primitivism to create a

distinctly Cuban aesthetic. 

Rene Portocarrero.  "Lady with Hat."  Cuba.
Portocarrero was one of Cuba's greatest artists.  He was painter, sculptor,
 ceramicist, stage designer, and book illustrator.  For many years, he worked
 in the village of Santiago de las Vegas alongside Wifredo Lam and
Amelia Pelaez, two of the other greatest artists in Cuban history.

Rene Portocarrera. "Bouquet of Flowers."  Cuba.
In terms of technique, Portocarrero was largely self-taught.

Reymond Romero.  "Acromatia."  Venezuela.  Textiles and mixed media.
Romero is part of the strong Venezuelan tradition of Op Art.

Pancho Luna.  "Blue Books."  Argentina.  Acrylic.

When I first saw a photo of this before the show, I could not understand what it was.

When I saw it in the show, I was amazed.  It consists of a series of blocks of clear

acrylic, which then have only the spine of a book glued to the back.  When seen head-on,

they seem to be actual books.  The entire gallery was filled with objects in which blue

was the dominant color.

Juvenal Ravelo.  "Rejuvenation of Light 1."   Venezuela  Op Art.
Ravelo is one of the younger generation of Venzuelan Op Artists.

Juvenal Ravelo.  "Rejuvenation of Light 2."  Venezuela.

Manuel Felguerez.  "Andromeda."  Mexican.

Felguerez is the greatest of living Mexican artists, working both as painter and sculptor.

He is now 92 years old.  He has recently been constructing abstract wooden forms.

Manuel Felguerez.  "Untitled."  Mexican.  Abstract Expressionism.

Felguerez paints on a large scale.  This work is nine feet long and embellished with gold

foil.  He has been influenced by the New York painters, but often refers back to

Mexican history or folklore.

Manuel Felguerez.  "Untitled."  Mexican.  Abstract Expressionism.

Pablo Atchugarry.  "Untitled."  Uruguay/  White Marble.

The hard marble always look like soft fabric draping.

Pablo Athugarry.  (Uruguay)  "Two Sculptures."  and Fernando de Szyslo  (Peru)

"Ritual Ceremonies."

Fernando de Szyslo.  "Ritual Ceremony."  Peru.

De Szyslo is the greatest name in Peruvian art, and his paintings always deal with ancient

Pre-Columbian myths or religion or folk tales.  This diptych is very large, 12 feet long.

Katrin Fridriks.  "Silver Awareness."  Iceland.
Her works explore speed, gravity, growth, and the interaction of man and nature.
It was interesting to see how artists even in Iceland have been influenced by
American Abstract Expressionism.

Mel Bochner.  "Head Honcho."  American.  Embossed Handmade Paper.

Donald Sultan.  "Black Poppies."  Corten Steel.  American.

Sultan has long painted very simplified flower forms on a very large scale; more

recently he has created 3D steel sculptures of these flowers.

Donald Sultan.  "Yellow Poppies."  American.  Corten Steel.

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Art Wynwood Part 2

Contemporary art is not always easy to understand or appreciate on first look.  But one

should be able to appreciate the artwork of one's own time, not merely the ancient classical

realistic art.  "Suspend your judgnment" is good advice as you experience and begin to

understand contemporary works.  The "Red Arch" of aluminum is by William Barbosa.

Barbosa was born in Colombia, but today works in Caracas, VEN.    He works with
 complex, visually ambiguous spaces.  The white marble piece is by Uruguayan artist,
 Pablo Atchugarry.

Roberto Fabelo.  "Animalia."  Cuba.  Bronze.

Fabelo is a Cuban artist working in both painting and sculpture.  He often creates

fantastic figures part human and part-animal.

Roberto Fabelo.  "Ovo / Egg."  Cuba.  Oil Painting.

Alberto Sosabravo.  "Entrance to the Carnival."  Cuba.

The Cernuda Gallery had the largest booth at the show; they are located in

Coral Gables south of Miami, and they specialize in Cuban and Latin American

art.  They are highly knowledgeable and have a huge inventory of art.

I like them very much.

Rufino Tamayo.  "Head."  Cuba.  Surrealist.

Tamayo is the greatest of Cuban artists.  His ancestry was part Chinese, part African, 

part native Cuban, part Spanish, and he tried to make sense of his heritage and

explore all aspects of it.  His godmother practiced voodoo and took him in to the

jungle for rites.  His works explore dreams, the unconscious, the myths of his

ancestors, the various religions to which he was exposed.

Rufino Tamayo.  "Arcane Dreams."  Cuba.  1955.

This work, which is quite large, 8 feet long, was priced at $4 million.

Roberto Fabelo.  "Fantastic Voyage."  Cuba.  1955.  Bronze.

Fabelo's works are often considered in the style of Magic Realism, the style which

is also extremely important in Latin American literature and films.  The work is as

real as one could imagine, and yet it is not, it is magical and has special meanings.

Irina Elena Gonzales.  "After the Rain."  Cuban.

This work is also of Magic Realism.  The detail is extraordinary; every

petal of every flower on the dress and the ground is perfectly depicted.

Irina Elena Gonzales.  "Tropical Maternity."  Cuba.

The work reminds one of the famous French Renaissance painting by Jean Clouet 

of the king's mistress.  But the slice of ripe watermelon is purely

tropical and Magic Realism.

Irina Elena Gonzales.  "Dancing in the Garden."  Cuba.  Magic Realism.

The details on the dress, the dogs, the vegetation are all extremely

realistic and clear, and yet they are also magical.

lluis Lleo.  "L.E.S."  Cuba.  Oil Painting.

Abstraction in Latin America takes many forms.

Daniele Sigalot.  "Wall Wave."  Italian.  Installation.
This gallery featured street art and environmental concerns.  This large piece is made of
hundreds of aluminum paper airplanes.  They are arranged differently for every show.
Because they were offered this large wall, the image is large.  Daniele is from Rome and
often works with a friend from Milan, and they call themselves "Blue and Joy."  They
make art in and for public spaces, for as many people to enjoy as possible.  The airplanes
are jet fighters for destruction, dart like forms, yet abstract images of beauty.

Blue and Joy.  Close-up of some of the aluminum paper airplanes.
These are folded from sheets of aluminum.

Cracking Art.  "Pink Snail."  Recycled Plastic.

"Cracking Art" is a group of anonymous young artists who believe we must become

more aware of our environment and protect it.  The mountains of trash we are

accumulating will soon overwhelm us.  They gathered tons of plastic items from trash

and recycled it into small critters.  The "Pink Snails" became the most famous and can

be found all over the State of Florida at fairs and community events.  They are

now as ubiquitous as the Florida flamingos.

"Cracking Art."  Some "Pink Snails" of recycled plastic out on the lawn.

You can go on-line and order your own and contribute to environmental causes.

Cracking Art.  "Blue Penguin."  Recycled Plastic.

These animals are sold, and the money raised is used for environmental preservation causes.

Cracking Art.  "Pink Meerkat."  Recycled Plastic.

The "Pink Meerkat" has now become one of their favorite figures.

Blue and Joy.  "Relax, Dream, Be Happy."  Italian Street Artists.

Daniele Sigalot and a friend create installations and environments which comment on

life and current events.  The display of aluminum airplanes at Wynwood had these

words as a title.  "Be Happy" is composed of pills.

Christopher Schulz.  "Shark Gun."  Los Angeles.  Stainless Steel.  3 feet long.

Schulz has created a number of these with various kinds of sharks and guns.  Both

sharks and guns are dangerous and can be deadly.  Yet, in themselves, they are not.

Images of both stir fear in viewers, which is not really rationale.

Metis Atash.  "Three Seated Buddhas."  German.  Fiberglass and Svarowski Crystals.
The figures show a duality between the simplicity, asceticism and quiet of the usual Buddha
 figure, with the glitter of Svarowski crystal and bright colors.  We are all torn between
a desire for quiet and peace and a desire for excitement.

Donald Martiny.  "Black Stroke."  U.S.  Resin.

Martiny says that he wants to free the gesture from the usual rectangular box which

contains it and allow it to be free.  He creates the entire piece as a sculpture out of

resin and pigment.

Donald Martiny.  "Red Stroke."  Born in New York, lives in North Carolina.

This is a sculptural wall piece the shape of the stroke and about 3 feet long.

Mauro Peruchetti.  "Jelly Bean Figure."  Italy.

American Pop Art has influenced artists all over the world.  Peruchetti readily admits

his influence came from New York.  He has created this figure out of cast resin

and arranges groups in various ways in different sizes.

Jane Manus.  "The Juggler."  Aluminum.  American.
Jane has been strongly influenced by Cubism and Abstraction.

Jane Waterous.  "LOVE." Oil on Canvas.  Ontario, Canada.
Jane is one of the leading Canadian artists today and one of three artists at
the show to make use of the technique of using hundreds of small figures
to make larger compositions.  She tends to work with words or simple symbols;
the others use different subjects.

Janbe Waterous.  Clos-up of crowd of tiny figures.

Jane Waterous.  "Heart."  Canada.

Jane Waterous.  "Close-up of tiny figures in "Heart."  Each of the figures is

perhaps 3/4 inch tall.  This is a flat painting; the shadows are painted.

Salvador Dali.  "Triumphant Elephant."  Spanish.  Surrealist.

Several galleries were showing Dali sculptures.  Dali often used

the elephant form with long, stilt-like legs as he portrayed

the dream world and the subconscious.  Bronze.

Victor Vasarely.  "Blue Green."  Hungarian / French.

Vasarely was the "Grandfather of Op Art," exploring how forms and colors 

interact in perception.  Most of his works are 2D, flat images, which only

appear to move.  This is actually a 3 D wall sculpture.

Manolo Valdes.  "Head with Silver Leaves."  Spain.
Manolo derives his basic image from a painting which Matisse did of his wife
in a very fancy hat.

Robert Indiana.  "HOPE"  Sculpture and Various Posters.

Robert Indiana used lettering on sign-like forms to convey messages, sometimes

humorous and sometimes philosophical.

Denis Nunez.  "Senora Juinot." Nicaraguan.  Magic Realism.
Nunez studied in Managua, NIC, as well as Rome and Paris.  His style is a
brilliantly colored Magic Realism.

Trevor Bell.  "Blue Radial."  1986  English

Carlos Merida.  "Figures in Landscape."  Guatemala.  Tapestry.

Merida was Guatemala's greatest artist in the 20th century.  His figures combine Cubism

and Surrealism.  This is a tapestry based on one of his works; it is here displayed as a rug.

Elmar Rojas.  "Dreams."  Guatemala.

Rojas is the greatest living Guatemalan artist, who is both painter and sculptor.

He deals with dreams, myths, and pre-Columbian legends.  He often uses gold foil.

Elmar Rojas.  "Black Bear."  Guatemala.

Rojas here depicts the black bear of a local legend.

Alberto Sanchez.  "Floating Red."  Venezuela.  Op Art.

This is a perfectly flat piece of aluminum painted to look as if it is folded and

undulating.  I was there and touched it; I'm sure.  It is part of the strong

Venezuelan tradition of Op Art and visual illusion.

Lie Nay Tjien.  "Universe Evolving."  Indonesian.

Like Lie's other sculptures, this piece is made of thousands of small rods of

stainless steel which are welded together.  It was in the center of the show, beside 

the VIP refreshment center.

Pablo Cuellar.  "Evolving."  PVC Pipe and Paint.  Venezuela.

Another example of Venezuelan Op Art.  In this case, hundreds of pieces

of PVC pipe have been cut at different angles and the background

painted different colors.  As you walk by, it seems to be moving, opening,

and closing, and you see a "new" painting with each step.

Pablo Cuellar.  "Blue and White."  PVC Pipe and Painted Back.  Op Art.

FLIX.  "Blue Zircone."  Venezuela.  Op Art.

FLIX (Rafael Fernandez) is the most famous street artist from Caracas, VEN.
He has transformed many of the buildings in his city with geometric patterns like
this one, and they become giant urban jewels.  He believes the colors and shapes he
creates enliven the city and make it more interesting and livable.

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