About Javier García Barrera
Though a hometown boy, Javier's art has taken him to New York, London, Austin and, most importantly, to Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil. He married a Brazilian and has a beautiful young daughter who divides her time (as does Javier) between San Miguel and Rio.
His experiences in life have matured Javier as a painter. His style has always been loose and expressionistic, but his latest work has a new solidity and depth. The San Miguel Parroquia church has forever been an iconic subject for painters, but Javier has been working on a new series featuring the church – some in a very large format – in an impressively solid style. He has grounded many of the recent paints with a use of black and dark tones to make the images more focused, more disciplined. Another series, which deserves attention, is a set of small format variations on the human face. All are spontaneous and imaginative, full of color and liveliness. His dramatic paintings of horses show his vigorous brushwork and energy.
Review
"Portraits of the time" of Javier Garcia Barrera by Carey Berkus (English)
Paint has been Javier Garcia Barrera’s vehicle of self-discovery for over 27 years. His work explores and matures alongside his personal growth. Exhibiting landscapes, street scenes, and portraiture in local and international galleries, third-generation San Miguelian, Javier transfers his pride and passion for his community onto canvas and paper using pencil, watercolors, acrylics, oils, oils pastel and sometimes encaustic. The “paper certificates” lining Javier’s studio walls are dozens and dozens of framed, unframed, finished, and unfinished “examinations and diplomas” of life’s teachings.
Exhibiting and touting his commitment to his self-taught school of hard knocks, educational provenance. Javier’s existentialist way of being is the way he seeks, questions, and flows in and out of his own life observations. Transferring his philosophies, extrapolations onto canvas has been his anchor from drifting off in his own thoughts.
In “ Portraits of the time ”, Javier is giving his audience “triggers” that activate memories, feelings. There is no fixed meaning, only possibilities to trigger your own narrative. Boldly complex, slyly witty, spontaneously gestural, each portrait borrows as much from art history as they playfully subvert it. The faces are an imaginary, expression of the broad range of human emotions. All of which are representing our uncertainty of the present moment. Not pretty, more interesting and thought-provoking, masquerading as life itself. Javier breathes life into each imaginary face with expressive, confident brushstrokes. Like Javier, these portraits are unpretentious, the complexity is kind in nature, and most certainly, curiously mischievous.
By Carey Berkus.
For more information visit his website:
His experiences in life have matured Javier as a painter. His style has always been loose and expressionistic, but his latest work has a new solidity and depth. The San Miguel Parroquia church has forever been an iconic subject for painters, but Javier has been working on a new series featuring the church – some in a very large format – in an impressively solid style. He has grounded many of the recent paints with a use of black and dark tones to make the images more focused, more disciplined. Another series, which deserves attention, is a set of small format variations on the human face. All are spontaneous and imaginative, full of color and liveliness. His dramatic paintings of horses show his vigorous brushwork and energy.
Review
"Portraits of the time" of Javier Garcia Barrera by Carey Berkus (English)
Paint has been Javier Garcia Barrera’s vehicle of self-discovery for over 27 years. His work explores and matures alongside his personal growth. Exhibiting landscapes, street scenes, and portraiture in local and international galleries, third-generation San Miguelian, Javier transfers his pride and passion for his community onto canvas and paper using pencil, watercolors, acrylics, oils, oils pastel and sometimes encaustic. The “paper certificates” lining Javier’s studio walls are dozens and dozens of framed, unframed, finished, and unfinished “examinations and diplomas” of life’s teachings.
Exhibiting and touting his commitment to his self-taught school of hard knocks, educational provenance. Javier’s existentialist way of being is the way he seeks, questions, and flows in and out of his own life observations. Transferring his philosophies, extrapolations onto canvas has been his anchor from drifting off in his own thoughts.
In “ Portraits of the time ”, Javier is giving his audience “triggers” that activate memories, feelings. There is no fixed meaning, only possibilities to trigger your own narrative. Boldly complex, slyly witty, spontaneously gestural, each portrait borrows as much from art history as they playfully subvert it. The faces are an imaginary, expression of the broad range of human emotions. All of which are representing our uncertainty of the present moment. Not pretty, more interesting and thought-provoking, masquerading as life itself. Javier breathes life into each imaginary face with expressive, confident brushstrokes. Like Javier, these portraits are unpretentious, the complexity is kind in nature, and most certainly, curiously mischievous.
By Carey Berkus.
For more information visit his website: