Shower of Fresco in Miami: De la Cruz Museum Art Gallery.

Visiting De la Cruz Museum Art Gallery, to my delight I found a interesting display of contemporary art. In the main entrance of the place I could appreciate work by Starling Ruby, who is a German American artist. His work is a giant 18 foot monument called "Stalagmite". The work was made with materials like foam, urethane, wood and sprays of bright colors, like yellow and red (he also used black to highlight the colors).The theme is prison. Personally I didn't like the piece, for me it's like a giant person with a small head that makes the person look like their trapped in his/her own world. In addition, it only has one leg, using a heavy and big shoe, so it can not move.

"Stalagmite"

In the same hall of the ground floor, there was contemporary art by Mark Bradford, which is considered large-scale painting. He uses many materials found on the streets, everything containing papers. His work is a reflex of languages, personal, social and nature. In many of his works he uses maps, colors like yellow, blue and black. For me, it is  abstract, difficult to describe. Looks like sometimes images of people walking through windows or ruins but suddenly it all disappears.

In the third floor I got to appreciate Gabriel Orozco's art.  He is a Mexican artist with a wall of a collection of photos and paintings.

The game room is decorated with bamboo leaves and rubber balls hanging over the game table, giving it an idea of free movement. The "Ping Pond Table" is unique. The artist made it bigger because it is for four players, the curious part is that he changed the net for a pond in the center and added some lily pads. This adds the element of nature. In the video of my art class I didn't like the table because I didn't see the difference from a regular table, but when I saw it in the Museum I liked it a lot. The piece has been in exhibition in some important museums. Reina Sophia is one of them.

Opposite elements do art: Richard Tuttle and Francis Bacon

According to the video, Richard Tuttle's talent is reinforced by his incredible respect for nature, his personal spirituality and great sensibility. He is a person who really enjoys nature surrounding him. I could perceive it by his gaze getting lost in the horizon, breathing the fresh air of  the mountains. For him it is a pleasure just contemplating the sky. Finding a meaning in every thing he touches. Finally, in each piece of art, he reflects his sensibility as an artist. When he arranges the materials used in a particular manner, simple objects become beautiful pieces of art. I could see how he feels the art, from his toes and it is like if he is performing a ballet piece. His art is exquisite, with an elegance and question less that reflects his balanced personality.

"Light on Water" (2003)

Francis Bacon was a deeply emotional artist, totally irreverent and extraordinarily talented. First of all, I could observe sadness in his eyes, even though he expressed and acted in the opposite way. Probably he feels rejected by his father because he was homosexual. Thus, he showed a rebellious and haughty attitude when he was attending the press. I think that was a mechanism of defense he had so as to avoid being questioned. He doesn't  respected  established rules by family, society or religion. He lived in eccentric scenes of addiction.I could appreciate the masculinity, representation of the Vatican and self portraits among his work. Because his attraction to his same sex, he liked to portray handsome men with sculpted bodies. They were a part of his inspiration, and he distorted their faces on the painting. I think that was a way to release  the idea of loving another man, or showing that they were in constant fights, or probably he didn't wanted to hear the opinion of his lover. In his relationships a kind of love and hate were the constant. He used to abuse emotionally of his partners, yet his relationship were long. In the same way he did with his partners, he did the same portraying the pope with an ugly face, probably wanted to say that the Vatican's rules were false or that he didn't likes the norms established by the Vatican. In addition, a characteristic of his self portraits was lipstick. In my opinion, he portrayed himself like a man but really inside he felt like a woman. As you can see, Francis Bacon was a talented artist, whose life was filled of scandals, excess and unbalanced personality, but possessed a wonderful creativity.

"The Suffering Body" 1952

"The State of Francis Bacon" 1985

"Study for a Portrait of Van Gogh" 1957

Both artist were very creative in their own manner, totally opposed their view points with respect to life and the way in which they lived their life.

Creativity is huge: Janine Antoni

The creativity of one artist is unlimited, and each time I see a new one I discover something new, and Janine Anthony is not the exception. Her body and nature inspire her creativity. I was surprised to see that she used her long hair as a medium. She skillfully uses her hair as a big paintbrush, which leaves long lines in different forms on the paintings. Furthermore,  her self portrait feeding the cow, for me, is a clear call to society to take care of our resources, including the nature that give us life. She implicates that animals need us because together we cohabit the same place. I could say it is a way of gratitude towards animals. I like the way she emphasizes the current problems we face in the planet.

Cow that looked like it was nursing, uncategorized

                                                                          "Loving care" 1993

5IVE in one: "The Cremaster" by Matthew Barney

In the film "The Cremaster", I understand there are five stories in progress at the same time. The Artist, Matthew Barney, is the principal character of the movie. He, in a jugglery way, jumps with difficulty doing acrobatic movements that go up and down through the balconies to represent the correspondent story on the correspondent floor on the movie. There is an atmosphere of mystery in the plot. A band playing rock, aesthetic dancers, whose steps are super synchronized, masonic symbols, and a man with a barrel and a shovel. All this gives mystery and is just a  preview of the never to be forgotten film.

I understand the contents of the movie has conflict, mythology and love. For example, biological changes of the woman's legs when veins start to form and then the woman becomes an exotic animal. The production, the vision, the innovation and the representation of the actors make extraordinary creativity. I think this is a good movie that I want to see entirely.

My Hands Touch Your Art: Louise Bourgeois and James Turrel

The art of James Turrel is spectacularly sophisticated and super modern. He uses technology and led lights to project his fascinating work. Their work installations unfold our senses of perception and sensation when appreciating them. The combination of elements he uses gives us an illusion, which our mind transforms into mass physically, but really don't exist. Thus, in his projections  perfect symmetry that is aesthetic is appreciated. The use of monochromatic colors in obscure places shows intensity and gives the sensation that we are traveling through an infinite tunnel. Without a doubt, he is a contemporary artist that uses technology.

When I saw the video of Louise Bourgeois in my art class, I was attracted by her art. Her hands sculptures say a lot about the persons. For example, playful hands of a child that take away the flower in a garden. In the same way two clasped  hands could be hands that caress. Hands that work hard to support their families or the same hands of Louise that originates meaningful art.

"The Woven Child"- I found it very interesting

My opinion is that both artist love nature and the human being . They have their own way to make art and share  them with the world. On one hand Louis is a poet that connects her art with poetry and on the other hand is Jame's spiritual energy that explodes in color.

More of Wynwood: Rain of Creation

Then, I visited Gallery 212, which had a large collection by artist Michael Perez. Most of his paintings are faces of beautiful women that reflect deep looks.The use of secondary colors is present in his art. His drawings of dance of curving lines brings out the sensuality of the faces and playful hair that makes me imagine the wind playing with the hair. In addition, Michael decorates his paintings with circles of colors that make his art work very unique.

In the same gallery was an exhibition of different colors of panthers. I found them as precious sculptures. Maybe there were in exhibition because of the real panthers located in the Everglades, the swamps of Florida. These are two of many.

see it?

The final exposition I visited was by James Mathison, who is Venezuelan and took courses at the St. Martin's Institute of Arts in London, England. His collection is in Venezuela and the United States.

Wynwood: Rain of Creation

This was my first time going to Wynwood Artwalk Exposition. Although I had been invited by my son before, I never found the chance to go. The day I went it was raining, but my God I was amazed by the beauty of  the art, the variety of culture and the energy of its visitors.
First of all, I arrived to Alberto Linero's Gallery, there was a valuable display of beautiful paintings and interesting sculptures. However, one of the collections that grabbed  my attention was by the artisit Florentina Giannotta. Her art had vibrant colors,  intensely bright and unusual figures. Florentina was born in New York, from Italian parents. She has been living in Italy since she was five years old. She studied architecture with a focus on recovery of history centers. In 2005 her work on characters like Jean Austen, the English novelist, Napoleon and Christopher Columbus became art. She has participated in exhibitions around the world. She was commissioned to paint the altar piece for the curia of Lecce, Italy. In addition, her work is in permanent collection on the Diocesan Museum of Lecce. Here is a list of her art.

El Joven G. LaFay

Paul F.

Emma and Knightley

Don Pedro

George III

Lousa Carlota

Cardinal Pichelieu

In her figurative art I can appreciate the bright finish of the paintings. For example, she used pure hue red and blue which give intensity, as well as the black to emphasize details in the figures, such as the clothes and the background. Each piece of art has flowers, like they're living among beautiful gardens that they're enjoying. Thus, the lines that draw the clothes show me the rich and costly elaboration of the cloths worn.
I found a lot of value in her collection, specially because she is new to the art field and her exhibitions are in many countries.    


In the same gallery I found two sculptures of pregnant women, which I think is a delicate work as tribute to women during the gestation. I forgot to take notes of the artist.

Sculpture by Pepon Osorio

I like the installation of work made by the Puerto Rican artist, Pepon Osorio. He reflects his culture, his believes and  his joyfulness. When at first time I saw his art, immediately what came to my mind was the Caribbean. I like the way he mixed media to give the forms of his sculptures. Pepon arranges carefully every piece of  his art using elaborates fabrics, wood, toys, plastic, hair, any kind of material that he can imagine.With his modern style, he presents to us any neighborhood of his natal Puerto Rico. In the same way, his creativity allows him to personalize a family into his sculpture or a popular barber. In addition, of the addition of colors and  forms of his sculptures, I like the story contained in each sculpture that he so masterfully creates. He is the people's artist. He interacts in a natural enthusiasm with his public. This artist considers a challenge being an artist.

More of the Lowe Art Museum

Unknown artist

Italy, Florentine School

Bust of Saint John The Baptist as a child

Late 15th or early 16th century

Terracota and glaze

Gift of the Samuel H Kress Foundation

China

Eastern Han Dynasty, 25-220

Horse and Cart, late 2nd  to early 3rd century

Gift of Dr. Gerald Shepps

Roman Empire

31 BCE-4th century CE

Hero Relief, 2nd to 3rd century marble

Museum purchase

Paul Manship

United States 1885-1966

Europa and the Bull, 1924

Bronze

Gift of Dr and Mrs. Rudolf E Drosd

One of the bottom pictures shows an art sculpture showcased in the outside of the Lowe Art Museum.

That's me at the museum!

 

Good Ideas Prevail in Time: “Portrait of Bearded Roman”

     I went to the Lowe Art Museum. What captured my total attention was the sculpture of  the “Portrait of a Bearded Roman”. It is believed to be Emperor Antonino Pius, who governed in the mid 2^nd century. He was born in Lanuvium, Italy, in September 86 A.D. Antonino is consider to be one of the five good Roman Emperors. He was acclaimed for his qualities of clemency, intelligent and purity.

     Contemplating the sculpture, I could perceive the sense that he was a good person. Observing his expression, I could imagine an attentive man willing to hear. Thus, he looked like he irradiated a deep calmness. This emperor probably had the greatest patience since he was so accustomed to hearing the problems of his people, in order to find solutions.

This extraordinary emperor was ahead of his time. One of his important acts was centralizing the government. He, working with a battery of experts in the laws, made revisions to roman laws. Including the ruling that a person must be considered innocent until prove guilty. As you can see many rules used nowadays come from centuries back. This man was a seeker of justice and the truth.