Contemporary Art Exhibit at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende

The Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes finally re-opened its doors after a year or so of being closed due to major structural repairs. 
I really enjoyed the pieces of contemporary art ranging from 1947 - 1973 that is currently on display in the main gallery.

Presencio No. 111 
1973
Fernando Garcia Ponce

Ponce was born in Merida in 1933.  He originally studied to be an architect but changed his interest to painting.  He was part of the Salon de la Plastica Mexicana (Hall of Mexican Fine Art).  This Salon, established in 1949, was dedicated to promoting Mexican contemporary art.  
I really like the colors and the movement in his painting above.  Soft Cubism.

Personaje - Agua
1947
Gunther Gerzo

Gerzo was born in 1915 in Mexico City of Hungarian and German heritage.  His parents divorced and his mother fell on hard financial times.  He was sent to live with his uncle in Lugano, Switzerland who was heavily involved in the art world.  As a teenager, he met Klee. Gerzo was seduced by his uncle's art collection with works by Rembrandt, Cezanne, Titan, Delacroix and Bonnard.  He studied under the famous set designer, Nando Tamberlani.  He returned to Mexico City and in the 1940's and 1950's, he created set designs for Mexican, French and American films.  He won various awards for his production designs.  He worked with John Houston in the 1984 film, Under The Volcano.
In 1944, he was tremendously influenced by many surrealist painters that had taken refuge in Mexico City due to the Second World War.  That was when he moved from being a casual painter to one that became a full time avocation.
Octavio Paz called him one of the greatest Latin American painters along with Carlos Merida and Rufino Tamayo.  (Tamayo once taught at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel!)

El Pez Luminoso
1956
Juan Soriano

Soriano was born in Guadalajara in 1920.  An abstract painter who also painted portraits and self-portraits.  He too was strongly influenced by the Surrealist and Cubism movements.  He excelled in sculpture in such mediums as terracotta, ceramics and later bronze.  He has a large bronze sculpture of a dove, La Paloma, in the courtyard of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Monterrey.

Pulsacio Dinamica
1966
Manuel Felguerez

Felguerez was born in Zacateros in 1928.  His family had a large hacienda in which they abandoned in 1934 and fled to Mexico City during the Revolution.  He studied in Europe and was influenced by Abstract Expressionism.  He is one of the most prominent abstract artists in Mexico for his works in paintings and sculpture, especially his sculptural murals.

Senal en Azul y Negro
1966
Vicente Rojo

Rojo, born in Barcelona in 1932, was awarded Mexico's Fine Arts Medal for "his vast experience" in the visual arts and his contributions as a painter, graphic designer and sculptor.  Rojo arrived in Mexico in 1949 and began studying painting and typography.  He was a member of the group of Mexican Plastic Artists who departed from the Mexican school of painting known as the Ruptura, whose principal leaders were Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueros.
"Signal in Blue and Black" (above) is painted on a curved canvas.  Again, I love the colors and the graphic design he introduced to the canvas.

POLANCO.- Vicente Rojo, foremost Mexican painter, known for his abstract paintings, sculptures and graphic designs, is currently having an exhibit called “Hall of Fame” at the Galeria Juan Martin. Rojo has included 12 people in his private hall of fame, where he pays homage to certain writers and painters. Working within a small format, mixed media /wood, he has invited writers Agatha Christie, Italo Calvino, Carlos Pellicer and Jules Verne . His chosen painters are Louise Nevelson, Jean Dubuffet, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Joseph Cornell, Mark Rothko, Germán Cueto and the filmmaker, Georges Méliés. With his uncanny talent for bringing out the essence of his chosen mentors, he portrays Christie with a large keyhole, related to her mystery stories. Calvino is represented with 4 small constructions which bring to mind his “Invisible Cities” Pellicer, poet, with small constructions portraying flowers, and Verne with 4 paintings that relate to the Mysterious Island as for the painters, he brings out the mystic quality of Rothko, playful Dubuffet, well constructed Nevelson, sober Mondrian, invigorating Cornell,, poetic Klee, and Georges Méliés with his fil Voyage to the Moon. Rojo’s insights are amazing, for he can bring out elements of each artist without losing his own language, His humor and playfulness are more tan evident.. The exhibit runs thru January. Vicente Rojo was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1932. He studied Ceramics and Sculpture in Spain. In 1949 he moved to Mexico, and continued his art studies at La Esmeralda, Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado in Mexico. He was member of the group of Mexican plastic artists who departed from the Mexican School of Painting known as the Ruptura, whose principal leaders were Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Vicente Rojo has been recognized as the most remarkable designer for the most important cultural magazines of Mexico, such as the Bellas Artes Magazine from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and Artes de México. In 1991 he was awarded the Premio BNacional de Arte and the Mexico Prize, for design. In 1993 he was entitled as Emeritus Creator by the Sistema Nacional de Creadores and was awarded the Golden Medal to the Mérito de Bellas Artes in Spain. In 1998, he was designated Member of El Colegio Nacional, and entitled as Doctor Honoris Causa by the UNAM. The paintings of Vicente Rojo are essentially abstract, but with the sensibility and the discipline of his graphic technique. Mexico bajo la lluvia is perhaps the most beautiful serie of his works. He also has painted several series of works like, Signals, Negaciones, Recuerdos, and Escenarios. Vicente Rojo was recently awarded the Bellas Artes Gold Medal

More Information: http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=52734&int_modo=1#.UQ2YI2cjabM[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org

POLANCO.- Vicente Rojo, foremost Mexican painter, known for his abstract paintings, sculptures and graphic designs, is currently having an exhibit called “Hall of Fame” at the Galeria Juan Martin. Rojo has included 12 people in his private hall of fame, where he pays homage to certain writers and painters. Working within a small format, mixed media /wood, he has invited writers Agatha Christie, Italo Calvino, Carlos Pellicer and Jules Verne . His chosen painters are Louise Nevelson, Jean Dubuffet, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Joseph Cornell, Mark Rothko, Germán Cueto and the filmmaker, Georges Méliés. With his uncanny talent for bringing out the essence of his chosen mentors, he portrays Christie with a large keyhole, related to her mystery stories. Calvino is represented with 4 small constructions which bring to mind his “Invisible Cities” Pellicer, poet, with small constructions portraying flowers, and Verne with 4 paintings that relate to the Mysterious Island as for the painters, he brings out the mystic quality of Rothko, playful Dubuffet, well constructed Nevelson, sober Mondrian, invigorating Cornell,, poetic Klee, and Georges Méliés with his fil Voyage to the Moon. Rojo’s insights are amazing, for he can bring out elements of each artist without losing his own language, His humor and playfulness are more tan evident.. The exhibit runs thru January. Vicente Rojo was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1932. He studied Ceramics and Sculpture in Spain. In 1949 he moved to Mexico, and continued his art studies at La Esmeralda, Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado in Mexico. He was member of the group of Mexican plastic artists who departed from the Mexican School of Painting known as the Ruptura, whose principal leaders were Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Vicente Rojo has been recognized as the most remarkable designer for the most important cultural magazines of Mexico, such as the Bellas Artes Magazine from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and Artes de México. In 1991 he was awarded the Premio BNacional de Arte and the Mexico Prize, for design. In 1993 he was entitled as Emeritus Creator by the Sistema Nacional de Creadores and was awarded the Golden Medal to the Mérito de Bellas Artes in Spain. In 1998, he was designated Member of El Colegio Nacional, and entitled as Doctor Honoris Causa by the UNAM. The paintings of Vicente Rojo are essentially abstract, but with the sensibility and the discipline of his graphic technique. Mexico bajo la lluvia is perhaps the most beautiful serie of his works. He also has painted several series of works like, Signals, Negaciones, Recuerdos, and Escenarios. Vicente Rojo was recently awarded the Bellas Artes Gold Medal

More Information: http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=52734&int_modo=1#.UQ2YI2cjabM[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.or

Retablo
1961
Carlos Merida

Merida was born in Guatemala City in 1891.  His family was from Quetzaltenango with Mayan and Zapotec heritage.  His first love was music but he had to abandon that field for he became hearing impaired.  He worked on a few murals with Diego Rivera in 1922.  In a927 he traveled to Europe where he met Picasso. While in Paris was influenced by Klee, Miro and Kandinsky.  Cubism and surrealism changed his views and he gave up his figurative style and became one of Mexico's first non-figurative artists.  The Mayan world also influenced his works for he incorporated "papel amate" (barkwood paper) into his works. (See my post dated May 21, 2010 and read about papel amate and papel picado).  Later he introduced mosaics into his murals.

 It's a great show!  I hope when in San Miguel de Allende that you will not miss this excellent exhibition.