“Rostros” Exhibit, by Artist José Pelletier, Opens

“Rostros” Exhibit, by Artist José Pelletier, Opens
Santo Domingo, November 12 2015

Ossaye Casa de Arte (OCA) opened the solo exhibition “Rostros”, by artist José Pelletier, during a delightful cocktail hosted by María del Carmen Ossaye and Ángel Ricardo Rivera, Director and Deputy Director of OCA, respectively.

In her keynote speech, art critic Delia Blanco said that it is interesting to understand that, for José Pelletier, portraits are merely a plastic practice and pretext, and a place to develop the paradigms that marked the works of painters of the second half of the 20th century, which influenced both society and the plastic and visual postmodernism. She stated: “We understand José Pelletier’s talent in the framework of abstract expressionism. He masters and commands figuration in a way that allows him to play with the pieces and the styles. Throughout the entire exhibition, the portrait is a pretext for Pelletier to exercise his talent for precise and efficient composition, as well as his passion for color that is compatible with the movement of the subject and the light.”

She added: “Frida Kahlo monopolizes the pink in the composition, as does Sean Lennon, with playful details that make reference to Frida’s flowers and John’s glasses. In general, the artist espouses a permanent tension with the abstract, and here he plays with it in this collective, with a freedom of strokes and spots that harmonize figuration with an abstract note that could play a musical and rhythmic note to break the idleness of the classic and formal portrait.”

In his address before those in attendance, Pelletier indicated that, although his visual discourse can be framed within the abstract expressionism, the theme of figuration has always gravitated in his production: “I understand portrait rather as a pretext to catalyze my concerns regarding the human being, and not as an end in itself. I am interested in confronting the idea that each person has of familiar characters and faces. This is the reason why I use faces that receive wide exposure in the media. I consider each painting more as a relationship between a number of colors rather than as an educational tool.”

He said that “I often consider the possibility of the viewer participating in the piece. This is the reason why sometimes my creative process is based on blurring, others on generating an organized chaos, thus allowing for multiple interpretations.”

Guests enjoyed some 20 large and medium sized pieces in acrylic on oil. The exhibit will remain open until January, 2016, at the OCA headquarters, located on José Joaquín Pérez street number 1, Ensanche Gascue, Santo Domingo. For more information please visit www.ossayecasadearte.com

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