Viewing Room
Forms of Art
New Perspectives on Contemporary Art
A work of art is composed of multiple forms, from the
figuration
of a human
silhouette or a still life to the dynamic shapes of Abstraction. From Pygmalion
to Contemporary Art, it is the artist’s role to shape Art, give it smoothness,
distort it: give it life. To celebrate the vibrant Miami art scene and echo fairs
and events meant to take place this week, Opera Gallery has decided to take
you on an artistic journey through all shapes and forms.
This curated selection opens on the unique works of Mel Bochner. With his
collages, Bochner offers a high-concept encapsulation of language and physical
space by adding shapes and dimension to the words he depicts.
“We live in a world that is oversaturated with empty
language […]. If there is no escaping this linguistic tsunami,
the ‘Blah, Blah, Blah’ paintings subvert it from below.”
Both Bochner and Korean artist Cho Sung-Hee create complex relationship
between color and texture. Cho anchors the shapes of her artworks into
tradition and propels them to the present by her innovative use of hanji,
Korean
traditional paper.
Cho Sung-Hee
Black with Red2019
Korean mulberry tree paper (hanji) and oil on canvas
162,2 x 130,3 cm - 63.9 x 51.3 in
Cho Sung-Hee
White Blossom (B)2018
Korean mulberry tree paper (hanji) and oil on canvas
162 x 130 cm - 63.8 x 51.2 in
Cho Sung-Hee
Red Blossoms B2019
Collage, Korean mulberry tree paper (hanji) and oil on canvas
145,5 x 112,1 cm - 57.3 x 44.1 in
Fernando Botero
Nature morte à l’ananas1988
Oil on canvas
146,1 x 198,1 cm - 57.5 x 78 in
Fernando Botero
OiseauCirca 2004
Marble
55 x 17 x 14 cm - 21.7 x 6.7 x 5.5 in
“In art, as long as you have ideas and
think, you are bound to deform nature.
Art is deformation.”
Modern painter Fernando Botero,
graciously paints and sculpts
nature in his unique perspective on
shapes and colors, warping reality
into a work of art. Contemporary
artist Julian Opie also plays with
human shapes, synthesizing
them to create familiar faces to
all, calling the viewer to a dance
session or a romantic night with
Antonia…
Julian Opie
Antonia 12011
Silkscreen on painted wooden board
105 x 65,4 cm - 41.3 x 25.7 in
Julian Opie
Leanne and Ed, lift2008
Vinyl serigraphy (unique) on canvas laid on wooden panel
269,7 x 231,5 x 3,5 cm - 106.2 x 91.1 x 1.4 in
“When I start creating an object, the composition
needs to
be clear, and so does the three-dimensionality, which is not
only shaped by volume, but also by colors and shades.”
Austrian sculptor Alfred Haberpointner masters the art of
optical illusions and the creation of depth with his colorful compositions
of stained spruce woods.
Alfred Haberpointner
W-ZZIM2020
Spruce wood, stain
200 x 150 cm - 78.7 x 59.1 in
Alfred Haberpointner
W-IDAM2020
Spruce wood, stain
200 x 150 cm - 78.7 x 59.1 in
Manolo Valdés
Helechos2011
Bronze
112 x 152 x 50 cm - 44.1 x 59.8 x 19.7 in
Manolo Valdés
Portrait I2018
Mixed media on burlap
165 x 140 cm - 65 x 55.1 in
This overview of the manipulation of forms in art could
not
be
complete
without Manolo Valdés. His tranquil portrait of women, their stylized, gracious
traits capture the absolute essence of form. On his mixed media artworks,
they stand out against raw lines and materials; through his sculptural works,
they offer the viewer slender curves and are paired with swirls of natural yet
geometrical lines: ferns, or butterflies.
Manolo Valdés
Matisse como pretexto azul y rojo2020
Mixed media
130 x 100 cm - 51.2 x 39.4 in
Manolo Valdés
Menina in Blue2013
Painted wood
85 x 60 x 36 cm - 33.5 x 23.6 x 14.2 in
Manolo Valdés
Cabeza con alambre y mariposas2020
Wood, steel and resin
114,3 x 66 x 61 cm - 45 x 26 x 24 in
Last but not least, French painter Pierre Soulages
materializes
lights bringing
forms onto a structured black and blue canvas; creating a captivating, unreal
and surprisingly luminous painting.
Pierre Soulages
Peinture 222 x 85 cm, 27 mai 19881988
Oil on canvas
222 x 85 cm - 87.4 x 33.5 in
“My pictures are poetic objects capable of
receiving
what
each person is ready to invest there according to the
ensemble of forms and colors that is proposed to him.”