None of That: Nada de Eso, Juan Cruz’s one-man show at La Casita Cultural Center, poses a fundamental question: Why would a talented artist take scissors and deliberately slice up a bunch of his paintings? For Cruz, that act isn’t mutilation but an initial stage in a new creative process.
The exhibition features four large pieces, 15 smaller works, and four sculptures, all of which have their genesis in the artist’s own artworks. In creating one of the larger works, he cut out segments from four paintings, set them on a long table, and began improvising. He reassembled the pieces, viewing them close-up and from the vantage point of a ladder. He considered various combinations, striving for harmony and balance. Typically he looked at a final version multiple times.
The works he created come in various forms, with one showcasing strong red and orange colors, and another more subdued due to a wave of blue. In addition, the pieces incorporate elements ranging from lines and stripes to small eyes, from a mask to patches of purple and green, from tiny pods to a wriggling shape suggesting a snake. And he’s included his artist taglines from earlier paintings.
The larger pieces, in particular, are dense, filled with various forms. Yet there’s an illusion of movement, a sense in which certain segments seem to flow through an artwork. That creates a visual rhythm.
The sculptures come from a similar process as Cruz chopped up some of his wood sculptures, put the pieces in a box, and began reassembling them. A couple of the new sculptures evoke buildings, but Cruz says it wasn’t his intention to reference architecture. He doesn’t begin with an artistic blueprint; he follows his own creative process.
None of That: Nada de Eso is on display through May 8 at the La Casita Cultural Center, 109 Otisco St. The exhibit can be viewed Mondays through Fridays, noon to 6 p.m., or by appointment. For more information, call 443-2151.
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The works he created come in various forms, with one showcasing strong red and orange colors, and another more subdued due to a wave of blue. In addition, the pieces incorporate elements ranging from lines and stripes to small eyes, from a mask to patches of purple and green, from tiny pods to a wriggling shape suggesting a snake. And he’s included his artist taglines from earlier paintings.
The larger pieces, in particular, are dense, filled with various forms. Yet there’s an illusion of movement, a sense in which certain segments seem to flow through an artwork. That creates a visual rhythm.
The sculptures come from a similar process as Cruz chopped up some of his wood sculptures, put the pieces in a box, and began reassembling them. A couple of the new sculptures evoke buildings, but Cruz says it wasn’t his intention to reference architecture. He doesn’t begin with an artistic blueprint; he follows his own creative process.
None of That: Nada de Eso is on display through May 8 at the La Casita Cultural Center, 109 Otisco St. The exhibit can be viewed Mondays through Fridays, noon to 6 p.m., or by appointment. For more information, call 443-2151.
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