115. Alonso Rey Studio 1131 Leona St The
work of Alonso Rey from Peru really stands out compared to the internationalized
art fair esthetics; my choice is deliberately anti-cyclical.
His oil paintings are figurative, narrative, autobiographic, expressionistic
and thus differ from the rather impersonal canon prevalent today. They
are literally cutting edge in the illustration of the painter’s
psyche without taking recourse to Baconesque distortions but instead
employ the direct disgust seen in the Isenheim Altar and the codified
metaphors used in Flemish painting. The pure fact that Mexican master
painter Arturo Rivera, who won the First Prize in the 2005 Beijing
International Art Biennial, took Rey under his wing and Rey’s
consequent progress in a very short time speak for his talent. His
naturalistic yet slightly surrealist style is highly recognizable.
It conveys emotions in a dramatic, exuberant and sometimes humorous
way that is more often found in Latin-American art than in US or European
art. Till Richter Curator / Professor Art History UT University. |
