ARTURO MALLMAN reception april 3
rd
6–9 pm
CAMINDO SIN DESTINO (Walking Without Destination) Haunting, luminous, and richly allusive, the semi-Âabstract landscapes of celebrated painter Arturo Mallmann transport us into realms of the sublime. The artist, who was born in Uruguay and has traveled and exhibited internationally, has seen many of the world’s most spectacular landscapes—but the mountains, canyons, and plateaus in his paintings are landscapes of the mind. Complex psychological allegories, they glow with mystical expanses of light, sky, land, and water, punctuated by sensual daubs of paint that seem WR HQFORVH WKH GUDPD RI $EVWUDFW ([SUHVVLRQLVP ZLWKLQ WKH FRRO LPSODFDELOLW\ RI FRORU Ă€HOG SDLQWLQJ 7KH ZRUNV are born of a painstaking, time-Âintensive process in which the artist applies up to 100 layers of translucent paint, varnish, and resin, imparting a luxuriantly aqueous sense of depth that invites the viewer to dive into an alternate universe. 0RVW RI WKH FRPSRVLWLRQV DUH SHRSOHG ZLWK RQH RU PRUH KXPDQ Ă€JXUHV ZKR DUH VLPXOWDQHRXVO\ GZDUIHG DQG HPEUDFHG E\ WKH IDQWDVWLFDO ODQGVFDSHV WKDW VXUURXQG WKHP ´, GRQ¡W VHH WKH Ă€JXUHV DV SDUWLFXODU SHRSOH Âľ 0DOOPDQQ UHĂ HFWV ´, VHH WKHP DV PHWDSKRUV IRU D VWDWH RI H[SHFWDWLRQ DQG H[SORUDWLRQ ZKLFK ZH all experience. They are struggling to reach a place that is inside themselves, a place where they belong.â€? %HFDXVH WKH Ă€JXUHV V\PEROL]H XQLYHUVDO ORQJLQJV YLHZHUV RIWHQ Ă€QG WKHPVHOYHV SURMHFWLQJ WKHLU RZQ GHVLUHV and dreams into Mallmann’s otherworldly vistas. The skyscapes that are so integral to these compositions are especially evocative. When he was in his twenties, the painter was profoundly touched by a scene in Tolstoy’s War and Peace in which a soldier, ZRXQGHG RQ WKH EDWWOHĂ€HOG JD]HV XS DW WKH VN\ 'HVSLWH WKH KDYRF DQG FDUQDJH DOO DURXQG KLP WKH VROGLHU is overcome by a deep contentment and serenity. Mallmann hopes that collectors of his work will be able to HQMR\ D VLPLODU WUDQTXLOLW\ DV WKH\ FRQWHPSODWH KLV SDLQWLQJV Those familiar with Mallmann’s paintings will notice in the current body of work a heightened concern with surface and contrast. The compositions are more dynamic than ever, and the color palette is brighter. “They are more visceral,â€? the artist observes of the new works. “The images are expanding. The space is growing. The light is taking over the whole image.â€?
Richard Speer
exhibition dates april 1st - may 29th, 2010 reception april 3rd 6–9 pm Front Cover: A Jump Into Vastness, acrylic and resin on wood, 42� x 72�, 2010
Caminando Sin Destino acrylic and resin on wood, 48” x 36”, 2010
Procesion Hacia El Olvido #2, acrylic and resin on wood, 30” x 48”, 2010
Madre E Hija Con Perro, acrylic and resin on wood, 36” x 72”, 2010
Every Step of the Way, acrylic and resin on wood, 60” x 84”, 2010
Brother and Sister acrylic and resin on wood, 48” x 36”, 2010
518 JULIA STREET, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130
Rompiendo Barreras #1 acrylic and resin on wood, 48” x 30 ARTWORK © ARTURO MALLMAN 2010 CATALOG © GALLERY BIENVENU 2010
504.525.0518
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