Carlos Gamez de Francisco
Oh Dear!
2020

Name: Oh Dear!
Brand: Carlos Gamez de Francisco
Price: 5290 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Artwork Size: 41 x 29.5 in "Oh Dear!" is a watercolor-on-paper painting by Cuban artist Carlos Gamez de Francisco. As in the rest of his portrait series, Francisco continues to challenge and reimagine traditional forms of portraiture. In this piece, Francisco depicts a fawn's head on a woman's body dressed in a lavish 17th-century violet gown. It is the first painting in the artist's "Oh Dear" series. He evolved the series to include acrylic portraits of female subjects from behind, wearing intricate 17th and 18th-century gowns and deer antlers protruding from their heads. Francisco uses the antlers to symbolize growth and regeneration since deer grow and shed their antlers annually. He was also inspired by the deer as a symbol of spiritual authority. About the Artist: Carlos Gamez de Francisco was born in post-revolutionary Cuba in 1987 to a Cuban- Spanish mother and a Cuban-American father. He grew up in Cuba and was educated in an academic style heavily influenced by the Russian Academy. At age five, he determined, with absolute certainty, that he would be an artist. By the time he was 15, Francisco was diligently painting eight hours a day. Today, he often spends 15 hours a day painting and feels "very blessed" to do what he loves. Francisco arrived in the United States at 21 with $650 and knew no English. He spent $600 on art supplies and $50 on a pair of Cortez running shoes – just like the ones Forrest Gump wore to run across the United States. He committed himself to learning 100 English words every day, studying diligently, working, and painting at night. His hard work and perseverance led him to earn artistic commissions and recognition. Cuban history has guided Francisco's work in a variety of ways. "On the one hand, it allows me to rethink the way storytelling is part of our memories," he says. "On the other, it allows me to question the accuracy of history and its telling." Exposed to Figurative Arts in Cuba by the presence of the Russian Academy, Francisco began decontextualizing epochs and cultural symbols as a way of connecting the past with the present. Currently, this near-obsession with the past translates into figures, scenarios, and most importantly, the recreation of his own stories. "I am more fascinated in altering history than depicting it accurately," says Francisco.

Creator:

Carlos Gamez de Francisco (1987, Cuban)

Creation Year:

2020

Dimensions:

Height: 51 in (129.54 cm)Width: 39 in (99.06 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)

Medium:

Watercolor,Paper

Movement & Style:

Surrealist

Period:

2010-