Arcadia Fine Arts Gallery Online Log / Blog

Welcome to February, folks. It’s a quiet winter month in New York City. We’re still recovering from all of the excitement of Los Angeles— that sounds dramatically vague, but it’s true. We just received all of the art work from LA in the gallery yesterday, spent today rehanging the gallery, and started sorting out and packing all of the sold works from the show. It’s hard to imagine the physicality of handling the 75 pieces of art that our booth was comprised of. It doesn’t seem like much when you’re looking at jpegs, but the physical space that all that stuff takes up is mind boggling sometimes. Then, start considering the amount of sleep the owner of the gallery Steve loses while the works are in transit from point A to point B— and you can start getting an idea of what it is to be in the gallery biz. Good times. On to the point!—
When this much work comes in and out of the gallery at once, there is a lot of moving and shifting and coming across works from the not-so-distant past. It’s been a while since I’ve really rallied about Julio Reyes, whose first one man exhibition was just this past November. I never got around to blogging about “Holding On,” which was one of the more monumental pieces from the show. Reyes is one of those painters that finds beauty in the craft and material of painting. He is easily one of the last painters I would recommend if you were looking for something to match your couch. He is very much an artist’s artist with great technical ambition, and no qualms about challenging his audience with his imagery. Sure, he’s not throwing controversial subject matter into our faces, but he’s not content to paint sultry faces ad infinitum either. He is an ambassador to the heart of painting, reminding us to respect the craft and remember that beauty can be found in places beyond our own pop culture limitations.

Julio Reyes, “Holding On,” Oil on Linen, 20″ x 50″

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the Julio Reyes opening last night. The show has been a fantastic success, and most of all, I think we all had a pretty great time. It’s amazing to see so many people that are passionate about the work we show and the artists we represent. There is an incredible community that is building around the concept of representational painting, and we’re so proud to be a part of it with all of you. Thank you.
While we’re all nearing the end of the weekend, take a minute to enjoy a key drawing from the new show. “Red Winds” is a curious display of frenetic mark-making that somehow builds upon its own restlessness into a scene of tranquility. What makes those jagged lines work on such a serene level is Julio’s ability to make his marks consistently conform to his subtle value shifts. Reyes’ drawings mimic the ocean in a way– from afar they appear to be so calm, but as you get closer to the surface, the roar of the waves becomes deafening, threatening to swallow you whole.

Julio Reyes, “Red Winds,” Graphite on Paper, 23″ x 18″

Last Friday, we were graced with the presence of Jeremy Lipking and Brad Kunkle at the gallery for a semi social pow-wow. Since they were in the neighborhood, we gave them a little preview of Julio’s show. There was definitely some painterly admiration at play in a generally respectful and congenial way, until they both got their eyes on “Headwinds.” The semi bearded jaws of both painters were on the ground for a solid 5 minutes in reverence of one of the most impressive paintings to land on these gallery walls. The immediacy of a fleeting moment paired with the ridiculously thorough description of every texture, fiber, color, and feeling of this scene is executed with such graceful vigor and sincerity that I firmly believe, it has the ability to transcend contemporary art snobbery, as well as classical revivalist pretensions, and stand alone as an indisputably great work of art.

Julio Reyes, “Headwinds,” Oil on Linen, 23.5″ x 36″

A day of moving, patching, painting, labeling, and so on and so forth has resulted in our gallery being in fine shape for the Julio Reyes show opening tomorrow. The whole thing will be on our website tomorrow afternoon to see in it’s entirety. For now though, I’m offering up the centerpiece of the show for your viewing pleasure. “Tread Softly” is the tangible realization of the promise of Julio’s talent, attacking each theme in his young canon both visually and technically. Every element is in its most tastefully composed state from the figure and landscape, to the subtle shift in color and temperature, to the emotional impact of the piece. This instant classic will be on display tomorrow for the opening along with 19 other amazing new works. Come say hello to the man himself as he will be in attendance. In the meantime– enjoy “Tread Softly,” along with a few process shots!

Julio Reyes, “Tread Softly,” Oil on Linen, 42″ x 63″

So far, this painting is getting Julio Reyes some pretty great mileage with it’s feature in Southwest Art and it’s placement on the cover of American Art Collector. While “Golgatha” definitely harbors some religious undertones with its title referencing the site where Christ was crucified, the painting itself elicits some unique emotions on its own. This expansive landscape feels so quiet and desolate despite the lights that are flickering in defense of the imminent nightfall, laying evidence of the vast population below. Maybe it’s the overwhelming drama of the sky that renders our presence on earth as diminutive regardless of our unwavering attempts to conquer the landscape with our endless towers and industry. The success of this painting lies in the fact that, whatever meanings this painting may carry for us, the last thing I’m thinking of is the paint itself.

Julio Reyes, “Golgatha,” Oil on Linen, 27″ x 50″

As the whole green movement is gaining a little more momentum, we at the gallery have been taking a look at some things that we can do to take steps in that direction. We spent a little while today testing some new LED bulbs to replace our energy sucking halogens that are fairly wasteful– but make our paintings look so good in person. For the first time in the last 3 years that people have beenpitching these things, it looks possible to make the switch. Success! That’s not the point of today’s post, though… As we were checking out different bulbs and taking notes, the difference in temperature between various bulbs can be astounding. While experienced painters tend to be incredibly conscious of temperature in color and light, many collectors, young artists, and appreciators might overlook that little detail that can make or break a painting. Julio Reyes, whose show opens November 12, just happens to have a fantastic example of temperature shifts from a warm light source to cool shadows and some incredible modulations in between. Once you can see the movement from warm to cool around the figure, you can’t help but notice the reflective light that literally sculpts the figure into a visually tangible form. Whether he’s tightly rendering texture, or expressively describing the periphery, Reyes has a masterful grasp on temperature.

Julio Reyes, “O Tender Heart,” Oil on Linen, 41″ x 27″

As dusk is approaching in Soho, Julio Reyes’ “Low Moon” seems fitting at the moment. This 28 x 28 inch drawing is a limited value symphony of texture and pattern. I have personally been infatuated with the way Julio tackles coarse fabrics, but what makes this piece more than just a field day of scratchy mark making is how he balances the composition with such tenderness in the sky and in the face. The discipline in this drawing alone is an accomplishment in itself. Despite the apparent joy Reyes finds in exploring grit, he has the control over his inhibitions and skills to tackle the softer side of nature with grace. In a culture that is slowly losing it’s grasp on subtlety and restraint, Julio Reyes is making it look good.

Julio Reyes, “Low Moon,” Graphite on Paper, 28″ x 28″

As pieces are beginning to arrive from the framer for the new Julio Reyes exhibition, we’re really starting to get a good feel for this show as a whole. While Reyes has a certain visual vocabulary within this body of work, the amount of diversity in achieving it is interesting and quite refreshing. Certain themes and subjects are portrayed multiple times, however his ability to describe them through a variety of media is what makes this show incredibly diverse within its own confines. One little grouping within this body of works is the batch of oil on copper pieces that are just mind blowing in person. Julio is really using the incendiary nature of the medium to its technical and emotional advantages. “Afterglow” is one of the largest of his copper works, and certainly one of the most iconic. (Come see it November 12th at the opening *hint, hint.)

Julio Reyes, “Afterglow,” Oil on Copper, 9″ x 18″

When Arcadia was an infant gallery back in 2001, if anyone told us we would be showing the most beautiful renderings of twigs, it would be followed by uncomfortable laughter and a change in conversation. Fast forward to our November 2011 show, and you can’t help but notice this strangely poetic, and incredibly asked about drawing by Julio Reyes that consists primarily of a pile of twigs. The guy is a master of rough texture. Of course he’s pretty great at this whole figure in context thing— but give this guy some course textures, and he’ll process it in the most unexpectedly gorgeous way. It just goes to show why the world needs artists in the first place– to remind us of the beauty in things we’ve come to forget about, and to show us the beauty in things we would never consider in the first place.

Julio Reyes, “The Watchmen,” Graphite on Panel, 14″ x 19″

Julio Reyes, “First Fall of Snow,” Graphite on Paper, 34″ x 32″