Acrylic and Ink

Modern abstract drawings on gesso and burlap. The work is mainly black, white and light blue tones. The work is signed by the artist on the back of the canvas. It is framed in a light toned floating wooden frame.

Ibsen Espada burst onto the Houston art stage as one of the great young painters in the "Fresh Paint" show at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 1985, and followed this by his inclusion in the ground breaking exhibition and publication "Hispanic Art in the United States: Thirty Contemporary Painters and Sculptors." There is a strong tradition of abstract calligraphy in Hispanic Art in this country. Developed on the streets of urban America, it arose from a displaced culture seeking its own voice and place in this world through a visual language of personal identity. This is an art of mixed metaphors and blended languages, where the rhythms of the Subtropics meet the percussion of the subways of the North and the highways of the South and West. This visual dynamism was often first expressed on the walls of the inner cities in a form labeled "Graffiti Art." Mural painting also has had a long history in Latin America, especially during the revolutionary period of the Mexican masters. This mixture of formalized and public art, together with the more spontaneous, informal gesture of graffiti and street art, became a moment of genesis for the young artist. And that, together with the pervasive influence of Abstract Expressionism, brought a fusion of influences together where the art of Ibsen Espada could develop, grow, and flourish. Espada has been a major force in the history of contemporary gestural abstraction in Houston since the early 80's. His newest body of work now being featured at New Gallery/Thom Andriola is a continuation and refinement of this rich artistic tradition. The resulting paintings pulse with freshness and vitality, but are also unquestionably recognizable as the best of Espada's ongoing development of a personal style.

H 70.5 in. x W 59 in. x D 2.5 in.

H 60 in. x W 48 in.