The idea of representing three ages or
stages in my artwork came after the investigation of my comparative study
featuring Klimt, Picasso, and Guayasamin. Klimt’s “The Three Ages of Woman” was
the determining factor in the choosing of my theme since I have been venturing
to represent women during their different stages in life. At first, my thought
process began in representing the different stages through different subjects,
yet all in the same media: oil on canvas. I began to explore different ways of
representing them, when I got to the conclusion that the portraying of woman in
their different ages is not necessarily only linked to the amount of years that
have gone by, but definitely linked to time.
This
was something that allowed me to express that every result entails a process,
and this process is normally portrayed in today’s society something with less
pertinence than it should. This idea was something I was able to express in the
triptych called Siembra del tiempo, which portrays the image of the same
woman in three different scenarios: the first one depicts the fat lady planting
seeds, the second lady is walking through her not-yet-blooming land with her
hands in a circular position , and in the third painting the woman sits,
contemplating all the blossomed flowers. The second woman represents time; all
the time that has gone by and must go by in order for the flowers and plants to
blossom, all of the patient love, sunshine, and water the little seeds must be
fed in order to grow to be strong and beautiful.
My
works mainly depict this idea of time and the different stages in woman through
the media of oil on canvas, which I have concluded to be the one I enjoy the
most. Some of my artworks are based on photographies I have taken, being a
technique I also enjoy immensely, yet other paintings, such as the triptych Siembra
del tiempo and the __(meditando), are inspired on a sculpture found in a
little orchid garden in my grandmother’s room. Luminosidad and En el
mercado are two other works, one based on photography I took and the other
one being the presentation of three photographies, also are an organic
representation of three different ages. En el mercado depicts three
pictures of the central market in San Jose, being a representation of the three
ages in my family: my grandmother, my father, and me. The idea of making it a
photograph makes the time period very specific, since it is the representation
of us three in the present, the day it was taken. Food is the common factor
that has been present in the three of us; my grandmother is the person who has
showed me the most to love cuisine, mimicking her love towards the art of
cooking. My father, on the other hand, has shown me to love the process and
every surrounding while cooking. Food is what brings my family together;
brunches, lunches and dinners, but mostly the process itself.
The
first still life I made portrays utensils and crystalware I found in my
grandmother’s house, being the place were I enjoy the most to cook. My portrait
is the way I see myself, the way I view the last present generation of women in
my family. Yet, in order to be able to transmit all the messages I desire, I
had to create a relationship with the viewer. This relationship was created by
using subjects that are similar to the viewer. The idea of the pictures in the
market is something that a person in Costa Rica will be able to identify with,
and relate it to family customs. My objective is to make the audience feel a
sense of warmth, comfort, and to a certain extent, reflectiveness. I want my
audience to comprehend the importance I am giving to the idea of the process.
Guell by Mariana Guell
Oil on canvas. 50 x 40 cms
The idea act of representing myself was a progress that went developing itself from the very moment I began deciding what picture of myself to use. The colors are the most important e l eme n t s o f t h e p i c t u r e , representing my personality in several ways. The blues are used with two purposes, the first one in order to represent the luminosity both internally and externally, using it as the color to magnify the lights in my face, using the same hues as the background.
Gesture drawing by Mariana Guell
Pen on paper. 17 x 26 cms each drawing
The idea of creating a set of three gesture drawings came up as an idea way before actually doing it. The idea of grasping the image of a woman with pen strokes in a single minute reflects the elements that the artists grasp at first instance. It reflects the essence of each woman, each one of them being in motion. The idea of three woman is once again recurrent.
En el Mercado by Mariana Guell
Digital photography. 40 x 60 cms each panel
En el mercado is a triptych of photographs representing scenes in the Central Market, San Jose. In my family, food is what brings all of us together, whether its in a brunch or dinner, the whole act of eating and preparing the food is seen as something almost sacred, and this whole process starts by buying the raw ingredients. The three pictures becomes the representation of three generations in my family, representing my grandmother, my father and myself.
Luminosidad by Mariana Guell
Oil on canvas. 40 x 50 cms
Luminosidad depicts three bottles, continuing with the representation of three stages. The bottles are an organic representat ion of women, referring not to their sizes and shapes since they all look similar, but referring to how luminous they are. Some people are more transparent than others, being more genuine and free, allowing the light to reflect on others. Other people are more opaque and don’t permit others to look directly inside them, normally due to obstacles that have left a mark in them.
Meditando by Mariana Guell
Oil on canvas 35 x 45 cms
Meditando is unlike any other artwork that I have presented to the day, yet I believe it is the one that depicts me the most accurate. The woman in the painting is the same woman found in Siembra del tiempo, yet her figure and aura are presented differently, in a more organic way, portraying her inner persona and colors, her spiritual being. It is a representation of a woman that is not being shaped by outer elements.
Monet by Mariana Guell
Linocut print
The impressionists were a group of artists at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century who have highly influenced me in several ways. They are known as the masters of color and light. The figure of this movement that has influenced me the most is Monet, being an artist that dedicated his entire life to the process of depicting nature, and finalizing his process by creating his own Japanese g a r d e n . T h e p r i n t i s a representation of his Self Portrait with a Beret.
Siembra del Tiempo by Mariana Guell
Oil on canvas 60 x 30 cms
The triptych Siembra del tiempo represents the idea of three different stages. The stages describe the importance of the process, an aspect that has been undervalued in today’s society. The first woman is planting seeds in an empty land. The second one is walking, patiently observing. This one stands in the largest canvas, being the center of attention, representing all the light, patient love, and water the seeds need to be fed in order to bloom into beautiful beings, marked as the result.
Exhibition setting
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