Roberto Juarez -
Helio IV
American, b.1952
Helio IV, 2008
Hand colored monoprint, 32 x 24 inches
Edition 1/1
Shark's Ink
08.036
Alumni Gift
Jaurez’s travels to Mexico, Rome, the Dominican Republic, and India have had a definitive effect on his art. He channels his Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage by incorporating the traditions of Hispanic and non-Western painting and decorative arts and crafts including pre- Columbian and African. He has also been influenced by the urban environment outside his New York studio, in particular the architecture of modern high-rise buildings which inspire him to incorporate geometric systems into his works.
Jaurez first collaborated with Bud Shark in 2008 to produce two lithographs, Blue Helio and Heliopolis, and the series of monoprints, Italian VP and Helio. Using sacred geometric structures (Vsica Piscis – intersecting circles of equal size) Juarez builds grids that crisscross one another and combine to achieve new forms. Abutting and entangling this geometry and creating a juxtaposition of flat and deep space and figure/ground are loosely painted brush marks and washes of color. Back and forth, reverse and inverse, Juarez creates visual systems of contrasting parts.
