Rene Robles at Galerie Joaquin
Robles’ “Masters of Modernism: Perspectives” opens on Feb. 23 at Galerie Joaqui. The show is on view until March 6.
Rene Robles takes mundane compositions (for this exhibit, still-lifes) and imbues them with multiple perspectives and angles. In this manner, Robles’ assertionism hews closely to how art critic Arthur Danto analyzed representational art as a “…stand-in for the commonplace.” A painting of a chair, for instance, has infinitely more meaning than the subject it is based on. In effect, an artist substitutes reality with his own assertion of it. Bruno Palmer-Poroner, in his book on Rene Robles published in New York, describes Robles as able to “…view a commonplace scene from an angle, or beneath a table, enabling him to gain arresting composition and special insight.” A chair for an artist like Robles, a commodified product, is then imbued with individuality, character, and the insights of multiple perspectives.
“Rene Robles is truly an incredible artist,” writes Palmer-Poroner. “Not only is he very productive, but his art is rich with imagination and new ideas.” In his Galerie Joaquin exhibit are new works that demonstrate this claim. From a technical standpoint, there are trace elements of expressionist brushwork and foreshadowing. His paintings bring him to the level of an ideologue, defining the parameters of his practice in the manner of a philosopher like Arthur Danto. The commonplace, in Robles’ eyes, becomes a platform to validate an imagination like no other.
Galerie Joaquin is at 371 P. Guevarra Street, corner Montessori Lane, Addition Hills, San Juan City. For information, call 723-9418 or email info@galeriejoaquin.com.