Rocio Garcia de la Nuez, (b. 1955)
Artist Statement
La Noche de los Tulipanes I & II (The Night of Tulips II), Diptych, 2021,
Oil on canvas, 47.2"H x 55.1"W In general, in my work, I question and reflect on the meaning of the concept of power, the abuse of power in interpersonal, love, psychological and socio-political relationships. Formally, I build a narrative from creating a sequential painting, where it is common to make diptychs that show two different planes of the same story that provokes and intrigues.
In the diptych The Night of the Tulips (Oil on Canvas/ 2021) can be seen in the first canvas an exterior of the street with autumn trees in front of a brightly lit window. The second canvas shows an interior where we see precisely what is happening through those luminous windows.
Faced with this diptych, the only thing left for the viewer to do is to put together his or her own conception of the story.
Beach bar solicito, 2022, Acrylic & Ink on Paper 18"H x 23.5"W It is another sequential diptych where a character walks away alone from the noise of the bar in the night sand of the beach... perhaps remembering that someone very dear left forever between the waves.
Garcia de la Nuez received her training at San Alejandro and has since dedicated over three decades to teaching there. Her vibrant paintings, frequently featuring bold nude figures within diverse settings, draw inspiration from cinematography and possess a narrative quality that invites interpretation. With an ambiguous essence, her artworks often leave much to the imagination. The array of characters depicted in her works mirrors her own quest for significance and understanding. In her diptych, The Night of the Tulips, she imagines the life of a woman observed through an apartment window. Contemplating the woman's identity, Garcia de la Nuez crafts a narrative that unfolds with a hint of mystery, culminating in a sinister conclusion after the woman disappears behind closed curtains.