Ramon Chirinos is considered one of the most influential Latin American masters of the 20th century. He continues to exercise a big influence on contemporary artists, collectors and investors worldwide. Alliance for the Arts Gallery and Artists Relations Manager Julio Gonzalez Batista says Chirinos also has a Southwest Florida connection.
“He lives in Fort Myers off of McGregor for about 10 years and he’s a member of the Alliance, too,” Batista said.
“Fragment of Nature” features the artist’s recent work. While some pieces in the exhibition date back to 2019, most were completed just last year. Chirinos’ compositions are abstract, and each acrylic-on-canvas invites viewers to forge a closer connection with nature.
“Viewers are able to explore inside each piece,” Batista said. “You’re not told exactly what they are. You’re given an idea of what they could be, but the viewer has power in these pieces too.”
Many people find abstract painting disconcerting. Visual ambiguity can be unsettling. People gravitate toward definitive figures and narratives. Batista doesn’t think this will be a problem for anyone who comes to see “Fragment of Nature.”
“It’s actually a little bit difficult to fully feel what he’s trying to get at in one individual piece, but as a whole, I think that he’s just trying to interpret things that we see on a day-to-day basis through a completely new lens,” said Batista.
The paintings in “Fragment of Nature” are serene, tranquil, even atmospheric. This feeling of serenity is enhanced by the plentiful organic light that flows into the Alliance’s main gallery. It’s a cool place to escape the heat and searing sunlight during the dog days of summer, Southwest Florida-style.
“Fragment of Nature is on view through August 30.
MORE INFORMATION:
In his biography “Ramon Chirinos,” renowned art critic Belgica Rodriguez details Chirinos' vast contributions to the art world and lasting impact in both local and international contexts. In the book, Rodriguez argues that Chirinos is a leading figure who has created a global impact on art history and left a legacy to the art world.
Chirinos was born in1950 in Falcon, Venezuela. He actually started out in S.T.E.M. Mathematics and physics comprised his main fields of study. That eventually led him down the path of teaching. However, he knew he wanted to paint from a very early age.
Initially, he’d indulge his passion for art during brief moments stolen from his daily responsibilities as a teacher. Over time, he realized he needed to be free to explore the canvas and create paintings full time. Not surprisingly, he quit teaching and became a career artist.
Chirinos' paintings have a distinctive tone and style. From his early figurative paintings to his current abstract collection, they evince an explosion of color, form and line.
His paintings invite the viewer to calmly consider the compositions and complete the visual process with a deeper perception that involves both mind and spirit. His paintings combine the balance and planning of mathematics with the creativity and movement of the stories he creates. Chirinos’ intention is to make the essence of the visual art stand out while providing the gift of a canvas experience. Chirinos accomplishes this visual experience by exercising a conscious separation from conventional codes.
“I trust the paint to take me where it wants to go,” Chirinos says humbly.
Although he has been living in Fort Myers for more than a decade, his work still reflects his Venezuelan upbringing and education. He continues to blend native tradition with European influences to produce distinctive paintings. This cultural mélange is a key characteristic of Latin American art.
Chirinos was primarily influenced by two European artists. The first was Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, who excelled in painting portraits, landscapes and monumental works of social and historical themes. The second is Catalan artist Joaquin Mir Trinxet, who was known for his use of color in his paintings. Trinxet helped define the Catalan art movement known as modernisme.
Ramon Chirinos is exclusively represented by the Aldo Castillo Gallery.
“Fragment of Nature” combines large and smaller scale paintings. The biggest is a triptych titled “Golden Autumn.” Each of the three panes measures 92 inches in height by 4 feet in width. It’s ensconced in the rear of the gallery, where it is bathed in the afternoon sunlight that pours through the glass wall and door that look out on McGregor Boulevard.
In hanging the show, Batista strove to match smaller works that complemented the feel of the larger pieces they surround. That has contributed to the collection’s alluring atmospheric tone.
“Fragment of Nature” is not Chirinos’ first exhibition at the Alliance. He had a smaller show in the Theatre Gallery several years ago.
“In that one, he explored personal childhood experiences through abstraction,” Batista noted. “But in this one he focused more on upserving nature through a completely new lens.”
Batista observed that the title given to several paintings sheds a modicum of light on the subject and the artist’s intent.
“You get a feel in the title [of those paintings] for what he’s representing in the paintings, but when you actually look at them, they’re so refracted and so abstract that you have to look for the tie-in between the title and the actual piece. I think what’s so wonderful about his work is there’s not one thing that is grounding [each painting]. It’s very subject to the interpretation of the viewer. It borders almost on non-objective. So a lot of the time, even the title will give you a feel for what you’re supposed to be looking for but you’re actually looking at the piece and you’ll find things that the title doesn’t suggest to at all.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.