Ricardo Fernandez Ortega - "Harvest" solo exhibition

Ricardo Fernandez Ortega

Harvest

Ricardo Fernandez Ortega

Harvest December 18 - 24, 2020

Opening Reception December 18, 2020 5-7pm

cover image: detail of Sun Seed II 69x59 oil

MEYER GALLERY 225 CANYON ROAD SANTA FE NM 87501 WWW.MEYERGALLERIES.COM 505.983.1434

In today’s highly digitized society, few artists champion techniques that belong to historical art movements. Mexican artist Ricardo Fernandez’s way of adding and subtracting light and carefully controlling rich dark, luscious tones resembles great 17th-century Spanish masters such as Diego Velazquez. His intuitive ways of using lights and darks (chiaroscuro), takes us to a mysterious, sometimes surreal space, where women wear elegant armor, extravagant headdresses and exist in empty terrains while participating in strange, but fantastical and dream-like activities.

Through his usage of a historical style, Ortega authentically assembles an extended body of work that resembles and continues, in many ways, the legacy of the old Spanish masters. His curious themes may feel contemporary, but overall it is hard not to go back in time while enjoying these skillfully-painted works of art.

“I try to come close to realism in order to achieve a specific visual purpose. That purpose is to provide something that connects to both the viewer and myself in a very particular way, psychologically speaking. People respond to realistic painting quite differently than they do to abstract or less realistic work. I want to evoke the response people have to very realistic images without actually becoming a realist or photo-realist painter. I simply want the viewer’s mind to respond to my work in a way that is similar to how it responds to photorealist and hyperrealist painting. But from there, I want to achieve something quite different than photorealists and hyperrealists.”

Harv

Mexican painter Ricardo Fernandez Or spired by the symbolic idea of a “Harve abundance after months of challenging that has tested our strength yet given

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rtega presents a body of work that is inest.� The harvest is a time for rewarding g labor, appropriately closing out a year n us opportunities to learn and grow

Universe Within 28x36 oil

There is a sense of renewal floating in the air, burning everything and starting over, leading to the reconstruction of the values that increase human growth.

The figures in Incendiary are the looking to the future and the past; they are evolution. They are choosing to leave meaningless paradigms behind.

Incendiary 19.5x13.25 oil

Navigating Ortega’s surreal figurative paintings is like deciphering a dream; each element is purposeful and symbolic no matter how unexpected or strange it may seem. Gifts from the Night is an ominously lit oil painting featuring a female figure hovering over a leaping stallion as it glides through the night. Ortega speaks to the relevant symbolism of this piece: “A nightmare can be the one that teaches us to be above the circumstances, to balance ourselves with serenity even in what seems to be a tidal wave,” he says. “A great challenge reveals how strong and resilient we can be.”

Gifts from the Night (detail) 39x55 oil

Gifts from the Night 39x55 oil

Fragile 36x48 oil

“This exhibition tells us about the knowledge that arrives to our consciousness through the path of life,” says Ortega. “The paintings symbolize truths about health, love, and interpersonal relationships, and how they are linked to each other. These are the signs that lead us to bliss; they are the fruits of self-discovery.”

Gemstone 36x28 oil

Sun Seed II, which features a woman standing next to a stone lion. Under her arm she holds a large luminous feather, while floating beneath her palm is a small gold sphere. Ortega describes the scene through his eyes: “Over ancient vestiges where only the symbol of strength and justice remains standing, a liberated, serene, and hopeful figure emerges, carrying with her a seed that will be a sun, a source of inner energy.�

Sun Seed II 69x59 oil

Shelter 48x36 oil

The fake gold screen has been broken. Her figure breaks in, always flying above our horizon, seeing what we cannot reach with our eyes. The continuity of life will be safeguarded by the wisdom of the universe, it will change the rules as much as necessary to preserve existence in its broadest sense, not just the human sense.

Sentinel (detail) 24x30 oil

Sentinel 24x30 oil

Skillfully painted with the realism of Spanish masters that came before him, Ortega’s paintings evoke quite a different response than those of the hyperrealists. Ortega paints in a way that speaks directly to our psyche, creating space for mystery, magic, and personal attachment.

Strength 47x39 oil

Inner Lands 48x71 oil

While the World Stands Still 55x35.5 oil

Faced with the surrounding desolation, it becomes necessary to recognize one’s own intrinsic nature hidden in the shadow, make a pact with it, stop pressurizing it in the depths, assimilate it and, finally, put it on our side. “The knowledge of your own darkness is the best method to face the darkness of other people� -Carl Gustav Jung.

Peace Treaty 43x55 oil

Heal the wounds that have occurred throughout the days. everything that transports us, that carries us, eventually needs our attention. The good news is that each of us has the necessary cure for everything we call “problems” or “disease.”

The Healing II 36x48 oil

Ricardo Fernandez Ortega

Harvest

Fragile

36x48

$7,900

Gemstone

36x28

$4,800

Gifts from the Night 39x55

$9,000

Incendiary 19.5x13.25

Inner Lands 48x71

$1,800

Peace Treaty 43x55

$9,900

Sentinel 24x30

$3,600

Shelter 48x36

$7,900

Strength 47x39

$8,100

Sun Seed II

$15,800

69x59

$15,400

The Healing II 36x48

$7,900

Universe Within 28x36

$4,800

While the World Stands Still

$8,600

55x35.5

Harvest MEYER GALLERY 225 CANYON ROAD SANTA FE NM 87501 WWW.MEYERGALLERIES.COM 505.983.1434