RitchaRd RodRiguez
Reticence & Transparency (Des Nuages)
In Reticence and Transparency, artist Ritchard Rodriguez transcends banality in two seemingly opposing concepts that intersect in intriguing and thought-provoking ways, inviting the viewer to reflect on the complexity of communication, honesty, and privacy in contemporary society.
Using a specific time of life: before, during and post pandemic, the artist’s work reflects mixed emotions that share a common thread of exploring the tension between what is revealed and what is concealed. Rodriguez uses color and texture to create layers of meaning and ambiguity encouraging spectators to question our assumptions, considering the ways in which we navigate the complexities of human interaction.
The viewer is invited to contemplate these “layers of meaning”, interpretations that are added or subtracted through large gestural strokes in this process of partial revelation. Together this work offers a multifaceted exploration of the themes of “reticence and transparency” and the ways in which we construct our own perceptions of reality.
— Jade Matarazzo, curatorIn Ritchard’s own words: Years ago, when I’d spend many NY winters in tropical Brazil, I once witnessed at 5 AM massive circular clouds vertically reaching the heavens. The sky had turned from black to a deep indigo with these round souring formations, white in contrast yet getting brighter. Within minutes I stood in awe as at the apex of these clouds one could see a peachy rose picking up the very first rays of the sun, these lavish colors climbing down the clouds as the sun continued to rise. Brazil indeed prepared me for my new home, Miami.
All the work I do is triggered by its title, these likewise inspired by music, a book, a chance meeting, travels abroad, old Latin proverbs, etc. ‘New Morning’ came to me via Bob Dylan, his rather sweet and simple yet romantic song with select lyrics incorporated within this painting as Asemic writing (my latest in this approach in a string of works since 2005). I also knew ‘New Morning’ would be my very first when relocating from NYC to Miami. It launched ‘Des Nuages’. In his song Dylan was not singing about a new beginning but rather about a New Morning, a moment the Brazilians describe as “o dia nascendo.”
‘Meus Caros Amigos’, following on the next page, also includes Asemic writing. Inspired by legendary Brazilian singer/songwriter Chico Buarque’s song of same title and catchy music, one line was singled out: “uns dias chove, noutros dias bate sol”, abstractly painted in its center.
Meus Caros Amigos
Oil on linen, 46” x 36” / 117 x 91.5 cm.
The notion with Conflagration was to suggestively paint fire in its entire beautiful splendor, albeit, although an abstraction, to make the painting burn. Heaven knows but that is the way this artist chose to deal with the following irreplaceable loss: recent wild fires out of control due to climate change, mega droughts, and man’s incompetence that have tragically killed innocent animals, especially Australia’s back in 2019/2020, wiping out billions of these poor creatures.
Conflagration is about energy, that which governs us all, NOT to be wasted.
Conflagration
Oil on linen, 40” x 58” / 101 x 147 cm.
While painting ‘Conflagration’, I chose music to paint to charged with the energy of “fire”, especially one particular piece by the industrial Berlin rock band, Einstürzende Neubauten: Abfackeln! (German for to burn off, to torch, flaring) not only got played rather loudly (ask my studio neighbors), it inspired these two paintings.
Abfackeln!
Oil on linen, 36” x 50” / 91.44 x 127 cm.
Louder Than Words
Oil on linen, 60” x 40” / 152 x 101 cm.
My music idol, singer/songwriter John Cale, in 1974 sang “Fear’s a Man’s Best Friend”, which in 1990 inspired me to tackle five small paintings bearing “Fear” in their titles. These were the 1st of many more batches painted ever since, all in collections in Monaco, Paris, Grenoble, Brittany, San Francisco, Harrisburg, NYC, Miami, Meersburg, Verona, etc. It would appear the titles and aesthetics resonate with many, yet not negatively, my work remaining about Hope: Fear of Religion, Fear of Fear, of Holding On, of Awareness, of Ignorance, etc.
Having given up my studio due to global complications of recent years affecting most of us and placing a damper on me personally from moving forward, I finally managed to do so in 2022, resuming work within my own home. Amongst the work, seven paintings resulted, all included in this show, this time exploring my own personal “fears”, political or otherwise - the batch christened, ‘Fear of Idleness’.
It was decided that ‘Fear of Idleness’, its centerpiece, would be white and black, the darks remaining centered, blue granite in character, segueing into white on both sides. I stare at this painting often, having magically arrived at its almost tangible form, suspecting it being a self-portrait of sorts.
‘Fear of Transparency’, on the following page, went through multiple sessions and interpretations: at first following a dream of a very detailed multi-colored painting resembling a cameo brooch at NY’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to be glazed with a dark layer. When it turned out resembling a rainbow beach umbrella, I turned my back to the dream, the oils fortunately taking over, granting an outcome with very positive form, plastikos if you will from Greek etymology. Its sibling, ‘Fear of Reticence’, follows a ‘Fear of Idleness’ white and black pattern.
Fear of Idleness
Oil & enamel on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Fear of Reticence
Oil & enamel on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Fear of Transparency
Oil on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Fear of Hypocrisy
Oil & enamel on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Fear of Greed
Oil on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Fear of Indifference
Oil on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Fear of Distractions
Oil & enamel on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
The title to this one speaks for itself. Borrowed by a line from Bob Dylan’s song, ‘Love Sick’, it gave birth to this penultimate addition to ‘Des Nuages’.
One would think this was planned but no, the two Dylan bookends just happened organically. Fascinated by amazing nocturnal Miami lightning storms, I was inspired to create this panoramic display of raw impressions.
”Sometimes The Silence Can Be Like Thunder”, B. Dylan Oil on linen, 44” x 62” / 111.76 x 157.48 cm.
One more piece followed its predecessor, “...Like Thunder”, completing ‘Des Nuages’. The reason being the previous piece dealt with nocturnal lightning storms yet failed in capturing the night’s lack of color (no regrets whatsoever, colors used were powerful and have a vocabulary and will of their own).
This final painting, simply entitled ‘Silence’, dove into an encore approach of “raw impressions”, although disciplined to the exclusive use of white and black.
Silence Oil & enamel on linen, 40” x 62” / 101.6 x 157.48 cm.
Early on in my life at age 10, I picked up my very first comic book, an Iron Man story from Marvel, not giving attention to its artist (or any comic-book artists for that matter at the time). Eventually, I was well educated about comic-book artists and writers, thus when I entered NY’s High School of Art & Design, the city’s best institution for the gifted, I aspired at becoming a progressive penciler during the industry’s renaissance. Ironically instead, I bought a box of oil paints and graduated a painter. That development took a sharp turn towards fine arts, European Old Masters, the Dutch, Otto Dix Neue Sachlichkeit, Francis Bacon, Joan Mitchell Abstract Expressionism, Rauschenberg Pop-Art, etc. Having reached 49 years of painting, it’s been an innovative journey without regrets, culminating with ‘Passion Nocturnale (for Gene Colan)’.
This painting changed my brushwork for good, making everything in this exhibition possible. Incidentally, Gene Colan was the very artist who drew the aforementioned comic book above, an incredible storyteller with his own fluid, richly dark and light approach, described as “painting with a pencil”. He broke many hearts with his passing in 2011, and today I cannot get enough of his pages to marvel in. Gene strongly inspire this piece and more to follow, not comic book art, but rather the lovely experience of applying oils in oh so many ways and textures with him in mind. Its title is borrowed from a story drawn by Colan for DC comics, an abstract full moon with a suggested hot-air balloon overlapping it.
Passion Nocturnale (for Gene Colan)
Oil on linen, 46” x 46” / 117 x 117 cm.
Initially inspired by Passion Nocturnale’s full moon, then by the notion of a beautiful sunset, where an ochre horizon meets a purple sky. The piece went through numerous incarnations during its abstract process, then heavily refined to perfection, the “sun” resembling more of a satellite, entity or planetoid.
Magic and Romance
Oil on linen, 46” x 46” / 117 x 117 cm.
Triptych: Balance and Compassion oil on linen, 41” x 95” / 105 x 241 cm.
Fear of Awareness
Oil & enamel on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Fear of Ignorance
Oil & enamel on linen, 22” x 18” / 56 x 46 cm.
Quests and Miracles
oil on linen, 46” x 84” / 117 x 213 cm.
