Two new mixed-media works by painter Max Rodriguez have just arrived! The artist explains the images below:
"A Birthday Wish"24 x 30"
"This girl reminds me of my childhood in Cuba, and the simple birthday parties I had. What would an impoverished girl wish for for her birthday? Maybe the new dress and bow are enough? Her shoes are old but are still her best shoes. The gift of the fan allows her to imagine a different world where she is allowed to dream. But is it a happy world? Is there a happy future for her? I've used sepia tones and vintage imagery like an old photograph, with tears and creases, to depict the nostalgia of the time. At this moment, she is content to pose for the camera, with her new fan and birthday cake."
"Dress Rehearsal"24 x 30"
"Children in Cuba are introduced to the arts at an early age. It may be their only escape from a life of repression and poverty. This girl represents to me the innocence of make-believe. The dress, the costume, the state all allow her to pretend she is someone else, and escape to somewhere else. This painting is also done in the old-fashioned photographic style as a way to convey the 'tinted veil' which I see overlaying the harsh reality of the times. I also like how photographs stop time and make the viewer wonder what happened to this person - How did she grow up? Did she become an actress, or did she end up working in a factory job like so many in Cuba? But for now she is suspended in time - with a hopeful future ahead."
No comments:
Post a Comment