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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