Profiles of Contemporary Art and - ARTisSpectrum

Cristina Arnedo
Tristan Pauli
Cristina Arnedo is a Mexican artist who is in touch with
nature and its primal energy at the deepest level, a
comprehension she transfers to the canvas in her powerful
paintings. Having her roots in Spain’s Basque country infuses
her work with a powerful sensuality and a love of dramatic
juxtapositions. Moreover, Arnedo’s art is also a study in
textures and richly toned composition. Her work varies between
explosive moods and subtle, quietly controlled explorations of
shading and the magnificent effects of undulating backgrounds
spreading across a canvas. Writhing patches of saturated color
are highlighted by thin forms for a sharp contrast and balance.
Her vortices of color thrive with bold highlights, intriguing
abstract shapes, daring flourishes, and seductive textures.
These are works of a luscious and tactile nature, but whether
the mood of her work is sublime or incendiary the power in
Arnedo’s work consistently lies in her skilled manipulation of
light and shadow as mutually dependent entities. Like two
halves of a soul, darkness and light are vital here. One senses
both an urgency in these paintings and a sublime belief in
transcendence. Cristina Arnedo fearlessly taps into her own
profound sensations and ideas, and she invites us to join her.
www.arte-arnedo.com
www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Cristina_Arnedo.aspx
Encounter of two Ink on Paper 37” x 27”
Alejandra Oil and Sand on Canvas 47” x 39”
Like the structures in a Borges or Kafka story, Tristan
Pauli’s buildings are part psychological maze, part fantasy
world. The artist has always been intrigued by the interaction
between paint, sculpture and architecture, and he strives in
his work to capture the fluidity between these different media.
He has studied the early European masters intensely, as well
as Breugel and Durer and the surrealism of Escher and Dali,
the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi and the Italian futurists.
His urban landscapes practically defy gravity as they rise to a
stunning airbrushed sky.
Even though these worlds are alien and give an impression of
pure fantasy, they are not off-putting. They are inviting in the
spectacle they present of complex, finely balanced creation.
The aesthetic choice of using round edges and bulbous tubular
shapes makes Tristan Pauli’s work a celebration of his unique
system which is characteristically friendly but also mysterious.
There is a firm logic to the composition of his works, which
portray interlocking networks of purposeful bridges, towers
and impossible skyscrapers that communicate spatially among
themselves in their own aesthetic language. Whether these
are “just” cities or a type of specialized structure is a question
the artist seems intent on leaving unresolved. As such, these
works are a mirror of our existence – the enigma that lies at the
heart of life is reflected in these joyous constructions.
www.tristanpauli.blogspot.com
www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Tristan_Pauli.aspx
38 ARTisSpectrum