Fri 9/6 @ 6pm
Just months after his last solo exhibition, New Works, at The Galleries at Cleveland State, Cleveland’s own Dante Rodriguez presents an even newer body of work this Friday as Modern Painters opens at Rotten Meat Gallery.
Rodriguez’s current series shows an obvious evolutionary step that was just beginning to manifest in his last exhibition. His brushwork is becoming looser and more painterly. As a fellow student of CSU’s George Mauersberger, a highly technically-precise realist/surrealist, Rodriguez’s early work was extremely tight and clean. His early aesthetics established him as one of the city’s most skilled draftsmen.
In Modern Painters Rodriguez creates a series of fictional portraits:
“I shift between abstraction and figuration to create these characters. They are my attempt to reference the historical linear narrative in painting from classical academia to experimental peculiarity. These works serve not only as a tribute to the creators of modern painting, but a homage to the liquid medium which gives form to our inner realities and our personal identities.”
“Many artists I’ve met tend to identify themselves to the particular medium they work in. Anytime I find myself at a gallery opening, I meet artists and ask what they do; I usually get the response ‘I’m a painter’ or ‘I’m a photographer.’ Very seldom do I meet sculptors, but if I do I’m sure they’ll respond with ‘I’m a sculptor.’ I think I never heard ‘I work with paint’ or ‘I work with photography’; it seems the notion of separating your identity with what you do as an artist is absurd. This identification to a material is what I’m interested in.”
Indeed, Rodriguez’s interest in the medium is evident in his new work. Instead of trying to force his brush to behave as a pencil, he embraces the paint’s unique characteristics, and uses the effects to create dynamic compositions of color and form.
This appreciation for Modern and Contemporary Art isn’t new. Rodriguez worked at CSU’s old art gallery during his time as a student. He learned Museum Studies under Robert Thurmer, and is considered one of the most successful recent graduates from CSU’s Art Department. Later, he became a partner at Wall Eye Gallery. Currently, he works at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It is clear that encountering other artists’ work has had a profound impact on him as an artist.
This most recent work is successful because his visual aesthetics complement his subject matter. Those familiar with art history, especially Modern and Contemporary Art will appreciate the intellectual intent. However, the work is successful on another level because it is accessible to any viewer. You don’t have to have a Masters in Art History to appreciate the work.
Modern Painters opens Fri 9/6 from 6 – 10pm @ Rotten Meat Gallery, 1814 E. 40th St., Suite 4b
Cleveland, OH. This event is FREE and open to the public. Please enter through the entrance on Kelley Ave and take the elevator to the fourth floor. The gallery is straight ahead to your right once you exit the elevator. On view through Sat 9/28.
http://rottenmeatgallery.com
Josh Usmani is a 27 year old local artist, curator and writer. Since 2008, his work has been featured in over 50 local and regional exhibitions.
Cleveland, OH 44103