Name: Ali vs. Frazier
Brand: Homer Guerra
Rating: 4.9 (44 reviews)

Ali vs. Frazier

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About the Item

Pencil and charcoal drawing of boxer Muhammad Ali, title "Ali vs. Frazier" (signed and titled verso), by Homer Guerra, who described his boxing-related art as follows: "Boxing and Art first came together in my life around the time of the 2nd Joe Louis - Billy Conn postwar rematch. I suppose once can say that at time there's a similar element of aggression in both the sport and art. I recall, while studying art at Pratt Institute, reading the words spoken by a famous abstract painter of that time, Clifford Stills, "I don't paint I hit". Yet, creativity in both can't be denied. Not to ponder aesthetics here, I can definitely say that I've spent lots of time in and around boxing. It is these experiences that I try to bring to life in my drawings the color and the drama, the violence and suffering as well as the good times and smoky memories. Please remember that each drawing represents a connection to my life visits to Stillman's Gym, fights I've attended, fighters I've met and photographed, homage to old warriors and just plain old boyhood heroes of mine." Homer Guerra likes to say he was lucky his introduction to art was formed in a musical environment. His mother was a highly respected music and Spanish teacher who loved all the arts. "As far back as I can remember, piano music filled our house all day long. I just took it for granted that music would play an important part in my life." During his high school years, Guerra worked in an art store. The owner, a Chicago Art Institute alumni, helped guide his future. Upon graduation, the Art Institute beckoned. He supported himself he says "by stacking merchandise boxes at Marshall Field, working as a Wimpy's hamburger counterman, and boxing at small fight clubs." His Chicago studies were temporarily halted during the Korean War when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving aboard the USS Delta as a draftsman. Following his discharge, Homer chose to complete his art studies at Pratt Institute in New York, joining his brother Arthur at Pratt, while his sister Maria studied piano at Julliard. "Among the talented instructors Pratt offered, I felt especially fortunate to have studied under two Abstract Expressionist forerunners: James Brooks and Jack Tworkov. Both were patient and soft spoken. Brooks taught a calligraphy class. He'd have you feeling you were confronting a Malevich as he illustrated the positive and negative space in a perfectly designed letter. Jack Tworkov taught a figure drawing class. 'Search, search... draw... respond to what you see and feel... not what you think is there,' he instructed as grand gestures, flourishes of black line that too often carelessly zoomed across newsprint pads." An expatriate from McAllen, Texas and now a confirmed New Yorker, he finds painting rural landscapes while living in a "spirited urban environment" a contrasting challenge. "You bet, ecological concerns mirror my allegiance to landscapes, but it's nature's unpredictable mysteries of color and structure, its kinship to and extension of man and his love of beauty that I seek to express with my art."

Creator:
Homer Guerra (1931, American)
Creation Year:
2004
Dimensions:
Height: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)Width: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)
Medium:
Pencil,Graphite
Movement & Style:
Abstract
Period:
2000-2009
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: JZ 8-7-211stDibs: LU5188586042