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Hugo Bastidas
Fin de
Siècle
FIN DE SIECLE, an exhibition of commanding
large-scale paintings by Hugo Bastidas, will be on view at Nohra Haime Gallery
from March 16th through April 23rd.
Bastidas'
work is both defiant and provocative. Painting entirely in shades of black and
white, impressionistic blurs skillfully unveil while achieving the realism of
monochrome photography.
This new
body of work takes Bastidas to a new and more profound level of exploration of
the human condition. While keeping his signature style - characterized by
mastery of touch and enigma - the artist makes allegorical references to world
history and humanity. Backed by extensive research, his subjects are often
potent, with contrasting ideals and symbolisms. Yet with sharp instinct and
uncanny imagination, Bastidas relieves the intensity of his narratives with a
touch of humor and irony.
In
Where There's Smoke, 2010, Bastidas references Jean-Honoré Fragonard'sThe
Swing. Portrayed is a young lady on a swing, carefree, her
dress billowing in the air. Nearby, her young lover hides in the bushes and
reaches out for her with hat in hand. At the swing's peak, the lady's dress
flies open and her shoe flings off - a symbolic loss of virginity - in perfect
view for her lover to peek underneath. But instead of
following Fragonard's luminous rendering, a generous cloud of smoke lingers in
the air. Totally unaware of the affair before him, the lady's husband loyally
pushes the swing; his presence faded in the background by the smoke. In this
enigmatic painting - an amalgam of the visible and the invisible, the known and
the unknown - Bastidas keenly references the common phrase "where there's smoke,
there's
fire".
Comprised
of complex illusions and references built over time, Bastidas' scenes are
haunting and intriguing. It is easy to get lost in the multitude of layers, but
with a step back, the unseen often manifests in unpredictable
ways.
Hugo Bastidas has built a
reputation as an important American artist since moving to the United States in
1960. Born in Ecuador in 1956, Bastidas received a
B.F.A. from Rutgers University in Newark, NJ and M.F.A. from Hunter College in
New York. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship as well as a Pollock
Krasner Grant. Bastidas has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally
and is represented in the collection of numerous museums worldwide. He was
recently elected to the
prestigiousAmerican
Academy of
Arts.
A fully illustrated catalogue will
accompany this exhibition.
For a PDF catalogue, please email:
gallery@nohrahaimegallery.com.
RECEPTION FOR THE
ARTIST: Wednesday, March 16th from 6 - 8
p.m.
DATES: March 16 - April 23,
2011
FOR MORE
INFORMATION CONTACT: Ana Maria de la Ossa at 212-888-3550 or gallery@nohrahaimegallery.com
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