Carlos Gamez de Francisco
Lavender Furniture

Name: Lavender Furniture
Brand: Carlos Gamez de Francisco
Price: 8050 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

"Lavender Furniture" is a figurative-surrealistic-style painting by Cuban artist Carlos Gamez de Francisco. It is part of Francisco's "Modern Decor" series featuring lavishly decorated furniture inspired by a specific childhood memory. In Cuba, his mother saved for two years to purchase a new sofa. It was such a sign of achievement for her that she covered it in plastic and did not allow anyone to sit on it. Francisco learned to admire it from a distance as if it was a piece of art in a museum. This particular piece features a gold sofa tufted in lavender silk. The sofa's shape is distorted, with its top right side stretched downwards into the seat. Francisco sets the furniture piece on hardwood floors in front of beige and gray toile-patterned wallpaper. As in many of his paintings, Francisco includes several large insects throughout the piece, either in flight or resting on the sofa or floor. Insects flying up represent freedom, insects flying down or falling represent chaos, and insects at rest represent balance between the two. 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)

Dimensions:

Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 42 in (106.68 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)

Medium:

Acrylic,Canvas

Movement & Style:

Surrealist

Period:

2010-

Framing:

Framing Options Available