The engine of sculptural values
By Rueben Pantell August 1, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Art Opening
Terra Mizwa, Peter Leventhal
Fri, Aug 1, 5pm
Galería León del Bajío
Jesús 2A

The work of sculptor Terra Mizwa at Galería León del Bajío is in the former premises of Galeria LeNoir, and is as nifty a gallery space as can be found in San Miguel. It is a lovely and satisfying show of work by an artist still in an early phase of developing a singular and authentic vision.

You must go elsewhere if you want novelty and yards of minimal deconstruction. If you wish to revel in the prattle of ineptitude masking as primitive or naïf, well, you won’t find it here. Here you will find a firm hand, trained in anatomy and sculptural form in the service of an expressive ideal, where in well-drafted forms one might find a profound correspondence with human nature.

All art theory today masks a general insolence and moral hypocrisy. Mizwa’s work stands outside the trendy shabbiness of this kind of irrationalism.

Mizwa infuses her forms with a fine-grained aesthetic quality, which enters each piece of her sculpture as an intelligible, coherent image. The metaphor that comes from a control of tone, an innate rhythm and the measured tensions of everyday life creates a clean, clear vision and emotive impact, beautifully modulated. In other words, her work shows taste and elegance.

Some of her figures remind us of Greek sculpture—not the large Apollonian works but the small demotic works like Tanagra pieces. A man in a bowler hat has the geometry of ancient Egyptian work. I recall Randall Jarrell writing in Pictures from an Institution, a book which I recommend, that when a sculptor speaks technically you might have to be a welder or plumber to understand it, but try to appreciate it. The rest, the generally philosophical—to appreciate it you’d have to be an imbecile.

The values of good sculpture always emanate from within and move outward, molding both the space they displace and its surroundings. The minimum standards by which to judge sculpture are a grasp of form and, in figuration, anatomic comprehension; dexterity in shaping form with grace; internal dynamics and presence contributing to sculptural vitality. Here one must be careful not to confuse the allure of decoration with sculptural substance.

An added value cannot make up for a lack of inner substance. No amount of dexterous manipulation and no intriguing surface decoration can cover up feeble interior value.

Large monumental sculpture, which A. Martini disdained as “statues,” abounds in our civic parks and crossroads. It is usually stentorian and didactic and triumphs along with the vacuous philistinism that commissioned it. Love of sheer size might have its reward, but it is lost on me. I prefer smaller scale; in what I call “cabinet sculpture,” the diminutive size compresses sculptural values into an irradiated brilliance. This simple taste helps me appreciate Mizwa’s work.

I once saw, in a museum, a Mesopotamian figure of a royal queen, 10 centimeters tall, that made much of the giant imperial sculpture around it disappear. In a case in a great metropolitan museum, a tiny carved wood female figure by a fifteenth-century sculptor is so complete in conception and so replete in sculptural value that it is talismanic and therapeutic on the one hand and universally sublime on the other.

So here is the crux of the matter. The value at the core—the engine of sculptural values—lays in the vitality it encapsulates and the tonic vigor it projects.

I highly recommend a gallery visit to see this evolving artist. The frankness of expression and the honesty of execution of Mizwa’s pieces are first rate.

The well-traveled Peter Leventhal also is showing several recent paintings in the gallery. Most of his works portray various people with whom Leventhal has an acquaintance.

These portraits initially began as studies of historical personages in his projected series on Mexican history at the time of the Revolution.

The artist presents portraiture in a new vein. His inimitable style, characterized by broad vigorous brushwork and bold color, is here put to the service of depicting his Mexican friends. However, he has given them different personas by dressing them in clothing more stylish than ordinary.

Several of the pieces depict a characteristic subject the author works with over a period of time—the artist and the model. Leventhal is a dedicated narrative painter and these paintings continue the ongoing saga. His ability to give life to his personages, especially in the compositional schemes, is quite masterful. He has said that he paints as a continuation of the baroque and rococo tradition. His influences have been Paolo Veronese, G.B. Moroni and Watteau, but I see more than a small influence of Max Beckmann on his work. 

Together, Mizwa and Leventhal make an interesting pair. What connects them is a seriousness of purpose and a voyage towards powerful sensory experience.

An artist in evolution
By Jerry Davis

Art Opening
José Luis Árias
Wed, Aug 6, 8pm
Los Arcángeles
Salida á Querétaro 16

New ideas, reinventions of old ones, developments of ongoing themes and an opportunity to meet one of San Miguel’s most exciting artists await you.

José Luis Árias shows new, exhilarating developments in his artistic career at a historic property that once was the home of Enrique Pomar de Cossío, who was the catalyst for the transformation of San Miguel. Later owned by the Instituto Allende directors, it is fitting that the recently restored mansion will once again be filled with works of art and people who appreciate it.

Fisherman, stevedore, seminarian and artist, roughly speaking, have been the career paths of a man whose works are as varied as his past.

Born and raised in Mazatlán, the fishing, cruise ship, freight and tourism port on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Árias lived the first 18 years of his life just one block from the docks. He worked on fishing boats, loading and unloading freighters from all over the world and was exposed to rowdy sailors as well as sophisticated tourists. Interested in art, he visited galleries and made the acquaintance of artists who, responding to his youthful enthusiasm, gave him instruction and guidance, enough so that the artistic urge never left him during the years spent in the seminary. Now, instead of preaching the gospel, Árias is showing us new ways to use our talents, vision and imagination.

Prepare yourself to be astonished and to open your mind to a visual experience that challenges the fancies of the imagination. Árias melds the machine, nature and a fecund imagination. Heads are a favorite motif; heads full of memories, thoughts and objects that are suggestive of family, friends and experiences. Here is a sewing machine. Mothers? Here is another machine. Is it the motor of a fishing boat? The paintings can be a point of departure, where you can fit in your own experiences and ideas. For the artist, the sewing machine recalls the one his own mother used to make extra money to educate her children. The faucet found in a heap of junk is a recurring motif, while a baby bottle is another. Reinvented, recreated and reassimilated, they all follow the common theme of nature and the machine, two important components of modern life.

Whether his work is executed in oils, acrylic, watercolor, plaster or clay, composition is his first priority. The artist paints original compositions, but that does not deter him from buying cheap commercial paintings at the mall and adding his own thoughts by over-painting portions of them. Collages are fashioned in two and three dimensions, incorporating everything from books to branches.

One of the most powerful and repeated symbols in the paintings is the butterfly. In one work, Vuela de la Mariposa (Flight of the Butterfly), you can see the voyages we make during our lives. “Sometimes we pause to breathe and rest, but always with the object of continuing forward.”

Los Arcángeles is located half a block up the hill from Santo Domingo Church which is at the intersection of calles Correo and Salida á Quéretaro. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet the artist, enjoy his hospitality and feast your senses on some of the most original artwork in San Miguel.

Exploring the magical side of life
By Cati Demme

Art Exhibit
Aug 2–Sep 4
Generator Gallery
Fábrica la Aurora

David Leonardo, well known for his murals in San Miguel, continues his exploration of art and philosophy and the magical side of life in his new exhibit at the Generator Gallery. He began exploring these themes in his mural at the Instituto Allende.

In his series Música Celestial (Celestial Music), Leonardo captures the essence of angelic beings in richly colored “portraits” in oil on wooden panels. These are actually ordinary beings who have reached enlightenment through spiritual practices, which he sees as an option for everyone. The use of gold is a reference to the medieval alchemists’ goal of transforming base metals to gold. The bright rich color in the headdresses is a reference to the joy and serenity available to all sentient beings. 

Poesia (Poetry), a series of 20 oil-on-canvas works, pays homage to the importance of words and ideas. These sensitive spirits are in search of truth and universal love. Their classical dress represents the timelessness of philosophical wisdom. Since music is the universal language for transcending life’s obstacles, many of his figures are playing musical instruments.

Leonardo’s newest series explores the magical side of life, incorporating contemporary figures and imagery with mystical inferences. Kundalini, the first piece of this series, reflects Leonardo’s interest in Eastern philosophy and spiritual practices, in particular the Buddhist dharma practice. In this work, a male figure floats on a “Pandora´s box” amid three red “Kamala” lotuses. The three lotuses represent the defeat of the three main causes of human suffering: ignorance, attachment and aversion.

The figure is wearing a T-shirt with the seven charkas, or energy vortexes, which when in balance opens one to enlightenment. In the sky drops of water form, referring to the story of the ascetic monk who, by freeing his mind of conscious thought and aligning himself with the universe, was able to bring rainfall to a drought-stricken town.

In another piece, El despertar de un Shaman (Shaman Enlightened), a Huichol shaman is depicted in traditional dress holding the steering wheel of a silver car, representing his responsibility to the future as the “driving force” to protect humankind.

The Huicholes believe they are the “caretakers” of not only the earth, but also of the rest of humanity. The shaman wields the sacred serpent stick used to bring about the raindrops, as water is the ultimate sacred element as the giver of life. On the top of the car a jaguar rests languidly. But is this an ordinary animal? It is actually the totemic representation of the night diety, Tezcatlipoca. The painting represents the necessity for balance, as the day of enlightenment follows the night of unconsciousness.

Also on exhibit are works from his Hikuli Nexia series, in which Leonardo showcases his unique sense of complex design and rich color. These oil-on-canvas works reflect his knowledge and reverence for Huichol tradition, which is very much alive today, as well as pre-Hispanic culture. 

Cate Demme is the director of Generator Gallery at Fábrica la Aurora.

A trio of abstracts
By Jaime Fernandez

Art Opening
James Pinto Gallery
Wed, Aug 6, 6pm
Instituto Allende
Ancha de San Antonio 20

Chi Kaplan, Janet Dowda and Jim Giampaolo are painters with distinct and thought-provoking styles. Color reigns supreme within all of their works. This trio exhibit their latest creations at Instituto Allende’s James Pinto Gallery.

Kaplan, owner of 3 OM Gallery, is self-taught. An abstract painter who revels in mixed media he employs glitter and whatever else at hand to enhance his chaotic master pieces. Kaplan paints fast. “Too much thinking slows my process and I prefer to shoot from the hip realizing I am never being influenced but adhering to the purest form of creation.”

Janet Hawkins Dowda, born in Baltimore, Maryland, now resides in Atotonilco. In the late sixties, she studied under James Pinto at Instituto Allende. Her abstracts have graced galleries on both sides of the Atlantic. She too uses mixed media yet, here and there, an observer can see first hand how she tones down her paintings to what might be construed as unassuming, dabbling in subtle pastels perhaps to offer a soothing effect or to have onlookers scrutinize and explore the artistic theme.

Jim Giampaolo, a seasoned painter with 35 years of creations under his brush, claims influences from his travels in Morocco and South America. A Master of Arts graduate of the University of Maryland, Giampaolo shows his work on paper under glass. Giampaolo taught at the prestigious Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC and at the Maryland Institute of Art. He considers himself an expressionist who projects distinct images and relies on craftsmanship. Germanic renaissance has appealed to Giampaolo, and perhaps nudges him deeper as to be immersed in his work and images. Other influences are the time honored styles that have stemmed from Henri Matisse and Amedeo Modiglani.

The exhibit shows until the end of August.

Elizabeth MacQueen, master sculptor
By Leonard Brooks

The National Sculpture Society of New York City has accepted for its annual exhibition the bronze bust Elizabeth MacQueen recently made of me. An internationally known sculptor now based in San Miguel, MacQueen has been exhibiting her work, selling major pieces and creating monuments in the US, Canada and Italy.

In the US, her last bronze and steel monument, at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a 34-foot depicting three figures full of movement.

When MacQueen was 17, her mother took her to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida, to see its art program. Looking at the life-size sculptures brought from Europe, MacQueen expressed her inspiration to her mother, “If I can create just one piece like these, then my life will have been worthwhile.”

At the University of California at Los Angeles, where MacQueen graduated with degrees in sculpture, painting and design, she was nominated to the Honor Society in graduate school. After working in the film industry in Los Angeles to supplement her early earnings from sculpting, she moved to Pietrasanta, Italy, a small town filled with professional working artists from all over the world carving stone and modeling clay for bronze. There she was privileged to work and break bread with the Italian artisani and well-known sculptor/artists such as Noguchi, Botero, Blumenthal, Gamundi, Sah, Finotti, Ivan Theimer, Nina Akamu, Kokkin, Bruno Lucchesi, Joe Sheppard, Harry Marinsky and Biagi.

As a former ballet dancer, MacQueen chose models from the community of dance. “They can hold a pose, don’t complain and know when to shake out their bodies,” she explains. One such dancer was the talented Gene Kelly.

One of the people who appreciated her talent was Governor Guy Hunt of her native Alabama, who brought her back home to receive an award for influencing the cultural heritage of the state. Later, Alabama Governor Don Siegelman (1999–2003) commissioned MacQueen talent for a Civil War memorial.

MacQueen’s passion has been, as she expresses it, “To translate the language of the body into a three-dimensional reality that symbolizes the real essence of movement, expression and human dignity.” This is a great challenge that few meet, but she has managed to do so.

Whatever MacQueen does, she does with her love of her creative medium. Recently, she completed a children’s book, The Lifegiver, about the wonder of birth and life of the adopted child; she illustrated it with watercolor drawings. 

An inveterate traveler, she has lived in seven countries and soon will be heading to Europe and China. I hope she will return soon to Mexico and her studio in San Miguel. I find her portfolio of work overwhelming and would like to see a selection here in a one-woman exhibition. Elizabeth MacQueen can be contacted at macqueensculptor@aol.com.  

Leonard Brooks was born in England and raised in Canada, and is the dean of foreign artists in San Miguel. He settled here after World War II, in which he served as an official Canadian Navy war artist. His works hang in galleries and private homes in the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. He has written eight books on art and a ninth on his cats.

Painter, sculptor, printmaker

Art Opening
Richard Fernandez
Tues, Aug 5, 6–8pm
Ra Luz Gallery
Posada de San Francisco
Plaza Principal 2, Interior 1

Born in Oakland, California, and a long-time San Miguel resident, Richard Fernandez has spent a lifetime as a professional artist in the exploration and development of his craft.

After graduating from the Oakland College of Arts, he won acclaim as an artist and sculptor in numerous exhibitions. His personal search for new sources of inspiration took him to Oaxaca, where he painted landscapes and gained an appreciation for pre-Columbian art.

He later traveled to India, where he learned the art of filigree and other intricate techniques he applies to his craft.

As a sculptor he mastered the art of bronze casting, creating works of intricate beauty and detail. Julian Harris, renowned Atlanta sculptor and architect, said, “Fernandez’s unusual sculptures are the result of a creative imagination and technical competence.”

Influenced by Rothko and Diebenkorn, his latest works explore abstract expressionism drawn from the energy of his surroundings and mirrored by the joy of the man himself.

“Life’s essence is energy and motion,” his personal artistic philosophy, is evident in the color-field painting and imagery of these recent works.


Fernandez’s work will be exhibited through August 24 at the Ra Luz Gallery.