CHRISTIAN RODRÍGUEZ LÓPEZ

Rodriguez's lush abstract paintings prioritize expressive immediacy and intimacy through color and dynamic forms.  Tactile, vivid, and dense fields of marks contribute to their 'all-over' quality.

Viewing one of his works, large or small, reveals his passion for all of oil paint's attributes. He is inspired by its pigment, its ability to thin it out into a glaze or build its density up to incredible impasto, and especially its long drying time, which allows for spontaneous revision over time and wet into wet painting. He was first exposed to these techniques as a student in a private art academy learning the tradition of still life painting at age 10. He nows works instinctively with his materials, beginning with a blank canvas rather than creating an under-drawing in graphite or diluted paint, and draws on his academic background in cultural studies. 

Aspects of his practice take inspiration from 20th century Latin American cultural movements, namely the neobaroque, the marvelous real, and post-war concretism, to create paintings which guide viewers to think expansively about the connection between the imagined and the real. The resulting images share distinct characteristics of fauvism and art informel and take on wild, oneiric qualities. 

His work has been exhibited at the Montclair Art Museum, the Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, the Belskie Museum, and is held in private collections in the United States. 

Contact

For all sales, commissions, or press inquiries, please email: cmr2250@columbia.edu