The New Face of Chelsea Seducing the Canvas ... - Artisspectrum

Ciceros’ powerful and evocative paintings are inseparable
from the experiences of his life. As a native of Medellín,
Colombia, where he still resides, Ciceros has been greatly
impacted by the omnipresent violence that marks this
region. Yet, for Ciceros, the rich history of mysticism within
Latin American culture has served in some ways to offset
the devastation experienced daily within his immediate
environment. This tension between violence and magic
characterizes Ciceros’ paintings. Typically a combination of
oil and acrylic on canvas, these works are expressionist
in nature, marked by depth and texture born from layered
brushstrokes, pulsating hues, and the sensation of arrested
motion. Color often figures prominently in his creations,
heightening the emotions conveyed while highlighting the
occasional reference to the eternal, to the time before time
to which the artist turns in the hopes of unpacking this
culture’s mythic and warring traditions. The conflict between
the aggressive and the mysterious reads loud and clear in
Ciceros’ work, drawing us along a tumultuous yet inspiring
journey. Indeed, in each composition appears a moment of
glory, a shining and luminescent flash that serves as a focal
point. In this way, Ciceros intends his art to be “something
more than an act of painting,” functioning instead as “a
magic act [that] can affect the physical world.”
Website: www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Ciceros.aspx
florA
Ecumes Wax on Canvas 32” x 39”
CiCeros
Incendio 2 Oil & Acrylic on Canvas 35.5” x 59”
In brilliant, spectacular and kaleidoscopic compositions,
the French painter and poet Flora portrays expressionist
manifestations of emotional states. Each acrylic on canvas
composition combines elements of American Abstract
Expressionism in the vein of Jackson Pollock and a
figurative style rooted in illustration and Pop art. This original
combination makes for gripping, sprawling universes whose
small details portray characters, animals and various
identifiable forms. These characters evoke fragments of fairy
tales, representing wondrous and imaginative participants
in some magical, unknown story. Their micro-dramas play
out within a larger, abstract setting where figurative details
fuse and melt into a vast canopy of bright, boiling colors,
and rich, textured wax brushstrokes.
This wondrous hybrid of styles and subjects might come
from Flora’s upbringing by an American father and Italian
mother who moved to France when she was 14 years
old—where she has lived ever since. Her work boasts a
unique and hypnotically multi-layered aesthetic, rewarding
different levels of analysis and observation. From a
distance, her canvases resemble especially complex and
thick drip paintings; slightly closer, details like bodies and
faces begin to emerge from the thicket of colors; and,
closer still, Flora reveals imaginative narratives set within
sumptuous backdrops. She lets us discover each rich layer
at our own pace, providing a uniquely subtle and rewarding
experience.
Website: www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/FLORA.aspx