SURFACE TREATMENT: Carlos Garcia at the Upper Valley Art League
The drawings and sculptures seem weightless, imbued with a transparent aspect that binds them to their backgrounds. Carlos Alberto Garcia Salazar exhibits works reflecting on the female form in his solo show at the Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center.
The main body of the show consists of achromatic ink wash drawings representing the female figure. As a member of the Visual Arts faculty at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Garcia teaches the drawing of the female figure. He created this series of drawings as a visual exploration of ink on paper.
This artist uses drawing to express a Modernist aesthetic. His lines and spaces become the true focus of these works in a true denial of Humanism. However, Garcia still focuses on his subject, woman.
He sees his drawings as prophetic statements representing the miracle of life. His female figures are shown moving upward from a sperm-like origin-configuration, into nymphs, which then reveal themselves as transitional forms that quickly turn into virginal poses, pregnant images, or visions of the Venus of Willendorf. The drawing, Ninfa 23, evolves from its lower tip of origin up into a voluptuous and seductive female shape. In contrast, Ninfa 19 is reminiscent of a willowy ballerina on point. The drawings emit a lightness of being.
Garcia is modest in his technique. Using a heavy variable black line with a thinner line as a descriptive counterpoint, he has developed each figure. A restrained use of grey wash fills selected areas for suggested definition. The linear quality captures the flowing movement of Chinese calligraphy. This minimal approach and, in many instances, open composition creates a sense of spiritual being.
His four large sculptures follow the same premise as the drawings, and were made after the completion of the drawing series. Ninfa 31 riffs off the Venus of Willendorf, with her arms framing ample breasts and belly. The steel rod medium used for these pieces provides the transparency that, in the drawings, becomes rather ethereal. However, the sculptural versions seem heavy and earth-bound. Although airy due to the linear design, the closed composition denies them the “becoming” sensation typically found on the drawings. Additionally, because of the dark and oxidized steel medium, these pieces relate to the earth. They fail to achieve the weightlessness of Garcia’s drawings.
Overall, Garcia’s content is realized; he is expressing woman as the power that gives life, along with her variations. Following his vision, Garcia has expressed a reverent artistic statement.
Carlos Garcia’s Solo Exhibit marks the inaugural hosting by the UVAL of an international event at the Kika de la Garza Art Center.
Lic. Carlos Alberto Garcia Salazar is Coordinador de Difusíón Cultural Fac. Artes Visuales de la U.A.N.L., Unidad Mederos C.P., Monterrey, Mexico.
Carlos Garcia Art Exhibit
Where: Upper Valley Art League, Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center, 1301-B, N. Main Street.
Hours: Thursday through Friday: 4:30–7pm, Saturday: 2-6pm, and by appointment.
Contact: 956-207-0940.
Nancy Moyer, Professor Emerita of Art at UTPA, is an art critic for The Monitor. She may be reached at nmoyer@rgv.rr.com
