Artist solo show, Curtis Gutierrez, “Walls”: opening reception, December 16, 6pm-9pm; closing reception December 31, 6pm-9pm; Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays 4pm-8pm.
Curtis Gutierrez, hailed as a “maverick” by the LA Times, came out of the Chicano Mural movement of 1980’s Los Angeles, but developed a separate visual style. However, the Chicano Mural movement deeply informed the epic scale and narrative in his work, which concerns the overarching themes of nations, generations, and legacies. His painting is grounded in the figure and the gesture of painting, but the artist often wholly reinvents his work, at a pace that has only increased over the years. The visual language developed throughout all these evolutions is distinctive, drawing from the training he received as a sign painter in his youth from his father. Though it is easy to see the influence of muralism, he also draws heavily from classical motifs, and from painters such as Goya, El Greco, and de Kooning, whose treatment of the figure was symbolic of the psyche. The bold line work, dramatic colors, and sense of urgency define his overall body of work as he finds new opportunities within traditional figure painting.