A native to Utah, Artist Ruby Chacón, is recognized as one of the contemporary voices in American Art. She caught the attention of collectors with a distinct style and approach in her brush strokes, extreme detail, color and subject. Without being didactic, she picked up the theme of her Mexican heritage and revealed large close-ups of family members, ancestors, friends, etc. Her work brought a fresh, yet startling, revelation to old themes.
These figures transcend the canvas with emotion and impact leaving the viewer wondering about the stories, the lives and the histories of the people in the images on the surface. Images of farmers, sheepherders, women making tortillas, tattooed men in hairnets, natives and much more, these are not the happy romantic and nostalgic faces of immigrant workers seen in prints across the Southwest. These are bold, honest looks at humanity, faces that are tired, hands that are scarred, men that are dignified in their work and women who have lived lifetimes. This documentary aspect of her work quickly attracted the attention of various groups, who saw not only a unique signature, but also an important voice in American history who is capturing and telling the Chicano narrative with all its complexities and contradictions. With the same fervor she brought to her paintings she launched into muralism and has left a permanent record on the streetscapes of Salt Lake City, Utah
|
|
Since: 1/18/08
Viewed: 848
|
