ArThur3Lopez - Blue Rain Gallery

†ArThur3Lopez¢
Arthur Lopez
Bultos y Retablos
F
or just over a decade Arthur Lopez has been quietly carving bultos,
beautifully carved representations of saints and figures from folk legends that,
in their breathtaking expressive materiality, have established him as a master
in the centuries-old tradition of southwestern Santeros. “In much of his work,
Lopez demonstrates a fearless ability to explore, often with sensitive directness, the
struggle between the secular and religious spheres of the modern world,” says Tey
Marianna Nunn, director and chief curator of the visual arts program at the National
Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM. Perhaps this is why Arthur enjoys
such wide renown as a “carver’s carver.” Skillfully navigating between two poles of
significance -that of the traditional treatment of the religious figure in Catholic imagemaking, on the one hand, and the special resources for meaning through social inquiry
on the other - Arthur Lopez embraces the emotive potential of his materials while at
the same time dealing with vital and urgent subjects.
As part of Blue Rain Gallery’s continuing commitment to the generative power of
contemporary New Mexican artists, this masterful Santero, who has been instrumental
in enhancing the status of bultos to a more serious form of artistic expression, can now
be seen in the full breadth, depth and dazzling expansion of his range.
Lopez, who carved his first bulto at the age of 32, has stated that the inspiration for
his carving comes from an engagement with a select set of concerns: the importance
of family and friends, paying homage to his ancestral past, and the profound qualities
of devotion so central to Santero art. Speaking of his own work, Lopez says, “I feel
religion gives the work relevance for both me and the viewer. I’m working in the long
tradition of New Mexico Santero artists, and my work comes out of my faith.”
His latest work crackles with chromatic electricity, blending incandescent and boisterous
takes on hot-button topics with the subjects and genres of the traditional art form. In
El Nino Santiago, Lopez shows, in amusing detail, the Catholic “Santiago Matamoros,”
- killer of Moors and non-indigenous converts - as a hapless boy in little shorts on his
hobby horse, perhaps entertaining the child’s fantasy of someday developing into a
“grown-up”. In The Fall of Man, Lopez conveys the pictorial sensation of moral and social
collapse generated by the ravages of alcoholism. Whirling up and around an intricately
carved bottle is a bulging, serpentine tornado of disasters, culminating in a dark,
testamental wisp of tortured vapors. Gloomy metaphors of things falling apart abound
lately, but Lopez’s witty charm seems to spill from an intrinsic, more enduring emphasis
on setting things aright.
Tensions between form and subject are heightened and softened by Lopez’s
remarkable use of color. Indeed, throughout his work Lopez practices a kind of
updated, old-world subjectivism that imbues his surfaces with a delightful fluidity.
While Lopez adheres to historic methods of finishing his bultos, using natural pigments
like cochineal and yellow ochre, he also uses modern mediums, including a UV varnish
he feels superior to traditional pinesap sealants, which yellow over time. In this, Lopez
provocatively gets the best of both worlds, as his work is as much about painting as
about sculpture.
Faith and devotion are recurring elements in the works of Arthur Lopez, as well as a
wonderful audacity that navigates the entire history of Western art while remaining true to
the special qualities of image carving in the Catholic tradition. Blue Rain Gallery is proud
to present the works of an artist whose skill, erudition and imagination have commanded
numerous awards as well as placed his work in museums and private collections
throughout the nation.
“Little Saint James” Perhaps
a reflection of his recent
demotion in rank (this version
of St. James as a Killer of
Moors was removed from
the cathedral at Santiago
de Compostela in 2007),
Lopez here depicts St.
James as a child, fantasizing a
role that is yet to come.
El Niño Santiago
“Little Saint James”
25”x 10”x 17”
The theologian Tertillian
once argued, “As Eve had
believed the serpent, so
Mary believed the angel. The
delinquency which the one
occasioned by believing, the
other by believing effaced.”
One of the many guises of
the Virgin Mary, she is here
shown on a celestial stage as
an emblem of grace.
Our Lady of
the Immaculate
Conception
22.5”x 15.5”x 7.25”
San Nicolas Obispo
21”x 11”
Nuestra Señora de los Dolores
33.5”x 18.25”
San Pascual is the patron
Saint of chefs and cooks.
So great is his power it is
believed that if you have a
San Pascual in your kitchen
even your worst meal will
taste delicious. Here, the
artist has repurposed the saint
on a cattle drive, grilling up a
steak over an open fire.
Cattle Drive
San Pasqual
18.5”x 10.25”x 7.25”
Adam
18.5”x 7.75”
Eve
18.5”x 7.75”
The death cart representing
the Death Angel, La Muerte,
is a depiction with roots in
medieval Europe. The figure
itself is always a reminder of
death, regardless of whether
it is holding a bow and
arrow (which represent an
unexpected swift death) or
a hatchet (which represents
a slow and agonizing
death). Used as a penitential
instrument during Holy week
processions, it is a reminder
that death is always near and
one should always lead a
good life. Much admired
by the Surrealists, Santero
art has the uncanny effect of
suggesting a disruption in our
shared world: an experience
which has the currency and
feel of reality yet it is at the
same time utterly private.
Carreta de la Muerte
8.25”x 8”x 8”
San Acacio
33.5”x 18.25”
Sagrado Corazon de Jesus
35”x 17.5”
Cristo Entierro Coffee Table
table: 19”x 47”x 21.5”
Cristo: 39”x 14”
“My main idea for this piece
was alcoholism and the many
different effects it has on
a person and on society.”
Starting at the bottom, this
carving depicts the Devil
tempting Eve with an apple,
a symbol of addiction,
and ends at the top with
the vaporous spirits of the
dead. Allegorical themes of
predation and fragility circle
the heart of the piece, a
bottle, as a reminder that life
is dangerous - and short. The
interesting detail of a baby
blowing a bubble represents
Homo Bulla
– Man is a bubble.
The Fall of Man
23.75”x 9”
The Fall of Man
(detail)
Every November for the last
400 years the name of St.
Cecilia has been invoked
as a patron saint of music
festivals around the world.
Poets from Dryden to Auden
have written works in her
honor, which have been set
to music by composers from
Purcell to Britten. Remarkably
tough, she is reported to
have survived suffocation in
a steam bath and immersion
in a cauldron of oil. She
even lived three days after
being struck on the neck with
a sword. A martyred saint,
when she was dying
she sang to God.
Santa Cecilia y sus
Mariachis del Cielo
25”x 14”x 10”
Cordero de Dios
17.5”x 12.75”
San José
17.75”x 12.75”
Here the President of
the United States, Barack
Obama, stands victorious
over the body of the “Giant”
with his handy sling. In
the popular story, David’s
achievement is miraculous.
The defenseless man, with
faith, overpowers
the maleficent ogre. In this
sense, Obama represents the
working man, while
Goliath goes down like a
bloated bank.
Obama and Goliath
17.5”x 9.5”x 9.5”
Our Lady of Guadalupe
28”x 18”
Santa Niño de Atocha
35”x 16.75”
The word catrina is the
feminine form of the word
catrin, which means “elegant”.
The figure, depicted in a
fashionable hat, is intended
to show that the rich and
fashionable, despite their
pretensions to importance,
are just as susceptible to
death as anyone else. The
image is often used on Day
of the Dead altars in honor
of the deceased and as a
symbol of unity.
Altar de la Catrina
27.25”x 13”x 6.25
Nuestra Señora del Carmen
32.5”x 11.25”
© 2009 Blue Rain Gallery
photography by Adison Doty
BLUE RAIN GALLERY
130 Lincoln Ave. Ste. D
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
505.954.9902
[email protected] | www.blueraingallery.com
Blue Rain Gallery
130 Lincoln Ave. Ste D.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505.954.9902
BLUE RAIN GALLERY
[email protected] | www.blueraingallery.com