COLORITO an exhibition of new works at the JoAnne Artman Gallery
Colorito
America Martin
Showing: Spring 2024
Location: 346 N Pacific Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present COLORITO, an exhibition of new works by America Martin. A term usually applied to 16th-century Venetian painting where color is employed in a dominant manner, colorito, or ‘coloring’ was deemed fundamental to conceiving painted images charged with the look of life. America Martin’s modern interpretation includes not only judicious color application, but the vitality and vigor of the world around her as she continues her unmistakable aesthetic sensibility.
Experimenting with line weight and function as a tool of two-dimensional representation of three-dimensional forms, Martin’s figures take on a new balance between solidity, weight and suggestion. Throughout her practice, Martin has continuously searched for and perfected the distillation of the elements of the human form, as well as the unification of line and color. Utilizing hues for expressive values, rather than representational qualities, her relationship with color feels personal. Often the palette reflects a mood – gentle and soothing, or strong and spirited, imbuing the works with a fuller spectrum of meaning. In her linework, Martin contrasts smooth, bold curves with hard, geometric lines that construct color blocks. Laden with nuance, thick lines are filled with the bubbling energy of thin, long scrapes throughout their length – adding intensity and dimension to the compositions.
Her technique of freehandedly capturing her subjects yields unapologetic marks and an unabashed palette often features anthropomorphic elements such as birds, butterflies and flowers. In conjunction with figures, these elements provide both a contextual source of information, as well as symbolic significance, progressing the storyline as a representation of personality, emotional quality, and character. Within this pulsating interplay of color, texture, line, and shape, there is always a signature expression that identifies each work as an America Martin.
The Princess and The Peas | Oil & acrylic on canvas | 49-1/2” X 97-1/2” in. (125.73 X 247.65 cm)
America Martin, Two Friends & A Bee, oil and acrylic on canvas, 48” X 48" in.
Colorito
On view this spring, JoAnne Artman Gallery is hosting the exhibition COLORITO, featuring new works by Colombian-American artist America Martin, who currently resides in Los Angeles. “A term usually applied to 16th-century Venetian painting where color is employed in a dominant manner, colorito, or ‘coloring’ was deemed fundamental to conceiving painted images charged with the look of life,” the gallery notes. “America Martin’s modern interpretation includes not only judicious color application, but the vitality and vigor of the world around her as she continues her unmistakable aesthetic sensibility.”