Show Preview | Spanish Market Exhibition

Santa Fe, NM
Manitou Galleries, July 24-August 14

This story was featured in the July 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

FOR THE FIRST time since 1965, the annual Traditional Spanish Market is not taking place this month on Santa Fe’s Plaza—yet another important cultural event fallen victim to the global pandemic. In response, Manitou Galleries resolutely goes forward with its own companion show, held at its Canyon Road location, featuring three major Hispanic artists it has long represented: Alvin Gill-Tapia, Arthur Lopez, and Miguel Martinez. While a real-world opening reception on Friday, July 24, may or may not take place, depending on the latest government guidelines, “We will definitely have an opening celebration on Zoom and Facebook Live,” says Cyndi Hall, the gallery’s associate director. “So many people come to Spanish Market to see major artists like Alvin, Arthur, and Miguel that we want to continue this tradition.” The gallery plans to be open regular hours, with social-distancing rules in place, and all the artworks—half a dozen or so from each artist—are also displayed on its website.

Gill-Tapia, known for his boldly cropped, dramatically delineated images of traditional New Mexico architecture, features his latest paintings inspired by Taos Pueblo. He hopes those who see them will experience the same “sense of home, happiness, and calmness I feel when I visit Taos. Being made from adobe, it’s part of the earth.” The large scale of his paintings—including the 50-by-50-inch TAOS AFTERNOON and a pair of 6-by-4-foot panels he plans to finish in time for the opening—makes them an even more immersive experience, as does the gold and copper leaf he uses to capture the glow of early morning or late-evening light on adobe walls.

Expect different eye-catching elements in Arthur Lopez’s unique take on the woodcarvings of New Mexico’s santeros, who crafted and painted images of religious figures displayed in churches and devout homes statewide. His works bring a witty, irreverent, yet still devout sensibility to subjects like ST. CHRISTOPHER’S ’57 FROM HEAVEN, which depicts its burly subject wearing sunglasses and a muscle shirt behind the wheel of a turquoise 1957 Chevy. “That puts a more contemporary spin on the tradition,” says Lopez. “After all, he is typically known as the patron saint of automobiles.” Lopez also collaborates with his wife, jeweler Bernadette Marquez, for a few pieces in the show.

Miguel Martinez has long been admired for his monumental portraits of sleekly modernist female faces that make the artist’s work instantly recognizable while also harking back to such influences as Arturo Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Amedeo Modigliani, Gustav Klimt, and pre-cubist Pablo Picasso. The artist is particularly excited to be debuting MOTHER’S DAY, which celebrates the women in his life—Rita, his wife of 44 years, daughters Ciara and Danielle, and a granddaughter born last month. But he quickly adds that his paintings don’t depict any specific person. “These are portraits of the soul,” he says.

An abundance of soulfulness from all three artists can be appreciated by visitors to the show, whether online or in person, notes Hall. “Due to the current situation, I think we’re going to see some of the most beautiful, creative artwork that has come out of their studios in a long time,” she says. —Norman Kolpas

contact information
505.986.9833
www.manitougalleries.com

This story was featured in the July 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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