LC & HP Series
LC Series 02. 2019. Oil on oval gessoed board. 56 x 84 x 2 cm
LC Series
This ongoing series of paintings dwell on certain aspects of landscape paintings explored by some painters from the German Romanticism such as Caspar David Friedrich. Tropical and exotic lands are depicted through the veil of the Romanticism, with centre European seasonal colours were superimposed to equatorial locations.
Those paintings are incredibly spiritual and philosophical affairs, painted to afford the viewer a unique experience: those paintings were made for contemplation. Renata’s works from this series are offerings -and exercises- on the appreciation of beauty of a landscape that seems more suitable for hiding, or of a corner of a urban garden trapped behind the geometry of metal bars, the poetry of a tall tree presiding over a dump or an imposing modernist house in decay that makes us wonder about its more prosperous past…
These are landscapes of memory, fragments. Renata seems to look back with a sense of loss and foreboding, all while rejoicing in the beauty of these locations, real or fabricated, inspired by screen shots from social media.
The oval and other irregular formats in most recent works had been chosen to emphasise this sense of the unrecoverable.
LC Series 01. 2019. Oil on oval gessoed board. 30 x 40 x 2 cm
LC Series 03. 2020. Oil on oval gessoed board. 30 x 40 x 2 cm
HP Series
These small canvas boards started life as repositories of left over paint from studio daily sessions. The backgrounds are the result of built-on oils that result in un-planned abstract backgrounds. The image worked on top those spontaneous backgrounds are suggestive compositions, mostly landscapes, that originate from photographs, as it is usual in Renata’s creative process. These photographs that serve as inspiration are part of her photographic archive of urban jungle landscapes – usually from her natal city, Caracas- but also include rejected photos from the family album such as out of focus, accidental and unflattering snaps that never made it to the family album.
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Renata places these boards hanging from a piece of wood at an angle of 15 degrees facing upwards. Or hangs them as pairs, reflecting the way Renata works on them: usually as pairs, repeating a motive and re-interpreting it, thus showing the creative process as a painting in two stages.
As these works are usually small, their dimension is suggestive of a realm of intimacy for the viewer. Indeed, these works need to be enjoyed one person at the time, and from up close. The upward inclination mimics the angle we use to view our electronic devices.
As these works are usually small, the size is suggestive of the realm of intimacy. Indeed, these works need to be enjoyed one person at the time, and from up close. The angle upward mimics the angle we use to read books or view our electronic devices.
The custom made frame is made with found plywood. By exploring the sculptural qualities of all the painting’s elements, Renata intends to emphasise their materiality, hoping to develop the painting's sculptural qualities.
