Contrasts in Latin American Art
May 9 - July, 2002
Curated by Alicia De Fisher
Perez
Celis, Agustin Fernandez, Gian Carlo Puppo
Works from 60's- 80's
Memory is an essential element in the formation of individual identity, the search for which is a fundamental activity of humans and society. The Anita Shapolsky Gallery proudly presents the work of three Latin American artists, exploring the diversity of color, form and subject matter that often comprises the essence of Latin America.
Perez
Celis
Perez Celis (Argentina) has always been interested in the expression of
the universal dualities of the spiritual and material world. Celis' paintings
are powerful statements of life's creative forces at work expressed in
elegant, rhythmic compositions of dynamic brushwork and vivid color. In
the 1960's Celis moved to New York, producing work that had a primitive
quality, with a strong focus on form and texture. While in France in the
70's his work developed a more polished look, with cleaner lines and deeply
saturated colors, which would become a hallmark of his style. While he
would move to a more painterly approach later in his career, his work
would always retain a strong focus on composition, comprised of intersecting
planes. His use of rich materials produces a thick physical world, unparalleled
in intensity, with layered and piercing planes in a uniquely interwoven
space. His works transcend their materials and offer a permanent manifestation
of the Creative Force. Celis' public works are featured in cultural centers
worldwide and he exhibits extensively in Latin, South, and North America.
He also illustrated Jorge Luis Borges' translation of Leaves of Grass
(Hojas de hierba), the epic Walt Whitman poem. In 2001 there was a Memorial
Exhibition of his work, honoring the three women in his life at the Palace
de Glace, in Buenos Aires.
Agustin Fernandez
Agustin Fernandez is one of the most significant of the exiled Cuban artists
in the development of international modernism. Although he has been classified
as a surrealist throughout his career, his work draws from a wide realm
of visions, inventions and contortions. While not abstract in approach,
his work does not represent objective realty, instead depicting unconscious
yearnings, obsessions, and fantasies. In 1959 Fernandez moved to Paris,
where he would remain for more than 10 years, producing a series of erotic
work. While his work of the 50’s was more colorful, after a beige period,
Fernandez's work of the 60’s moved to a more limited palette of black
and white. His ambiguous, yet provocative paintings combine soft, fleshy
human-like forms contrasted with hard metallic surfaces. Using the machine
as reference, his work conjures subconscious, often erotic imaginings.
In 1968, after moving to Puerto Rico, and destroying much of his earlier
work, he began to work in collage, and continued to explore the armor-like
metal facades. He would also create three-dimensional objects, like those
of Duchamp or Man Ray. Slowly color started to reappear, but Fernandez
continued to represent the sometime conflicting, often emotional, human
conditions.
Gian Carlo Puppo
Gian Carlo Puppo an Italian, was raised in Argentina. His work has the imprint of the fusion of two cultures. The work in this exhibition explores his development from the European influence to the exuberant Baroque of the pre-Columbian culture. In his provocative figurative art he links the relationship of humans, objects, and buildings. The paintings are balanced by his reality and his fantasy. His work is in many public collections in America, Europe, and Latin America.
