‘Ideographic’ art inspired by ‘prehistoric cave drawings’ During March and April, Maria Lago exhibits her paintings from her series "Ideographic" at The Falcon Art Space in Marlboro. https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/entertainment/2020/03/16/ideographic-art-falcon-inspired-prehistoric-cave-drawings/5001958002/
The Falcon’s current space is celebrating a 10-year anniversary this month where Tony and Julie Falco have created a space for musicians and visual artists to thrive.
Growing out of a former button factory that had seen many uses, the space was thoughtfully repurposed to provide an acoustically correct live performance stage, as well as a gallery space that exhibits the work of local visual artists and photographers. The continued generosity of the Falco family is evidenced in that they take no fees from art sales and refer prospective art collectors directly to the artists.
Maria Lago's "Ideographic Paintings" are inspired by prehistoric cave drawings and archetypal images. (Photo: Provided by Maria Lago)
During March and April, Maria Lago exhibits paintings from her series “Ideographic” at the Falcon Art Space. Lago says the paintings are “inspired by prehistoric cave drawings and archetypal images. The surfaces of my paintings resemble the walls of a cave and are inscribed with words and symbols.”
These large, expressionistic works fill the space with a kinetic energy and the 10 on exhibit each have their own story to tell. The paintings have energetic brushstrokes and layers of paint, burlap, and scraps of old repurposed paintings. Lago shared that, “I grew up in northern Spain near prehistoric caves that were filled with Paleolithic art. As a child I spent time exploring the caves and became familiar with the raw, earthy and deeply human imagery of the paintings found inside. This unique experience still resonates in my artwork, as I continue to interpret the imagery I found there.”
The painting "Del Fornu" shows Maria Lago's expressionistic use of color and materials. (Photo: Provided by Maria Lago)
Looking at the paintings you can see this in “Fornu,” painted in hues of chromium yellow. The active brush strokes are highlighted with bold blue strokes embraced with raw sienna colors. The surprising yellow hues inspired by sunflowers or the light from the Spanish sun dance and spin with earthy tones and blue from the sea.
Lago commented on the inspiration she draws from to create her paintings: “Improvisation with varied materials has become essential to my process, and I continually explore unusual mediums to create new effects. Primitive symbols, archetypal images and organic forms inhabit and inform much of the work.”
Maria Lago's painting "Del Molin" is on exhibit at The Falcon through April. (Photo: Provided by Maria Lago)
The painting “Del Molin” contains symbols that Lago has incorporated into her artistic canon – the gestural lines that could be writing from a Paleolithic cave painting, and the built-up layers that signify the passage of time and traditions. Visitors to the gallery can look closer at this painting and see the hand of the artist as she moved around the layers. Sand paint and burlap exist together on the painting that create a dialogue with color and motion.
Teasing out the gestures that appear as writings, the artist commented about this process: “I combine images from the past and present to create my own symbolic language. I am attempting to interpret my personal experience within a common visual code.”
The Falcon is a Hudson Valley treasure – when you go, don’t forget to kick in a few dollars into the donation box to support living artists.
Linda Marston-Reid is an artist, writer and executive director of Arts Mid-Hudson. Art From Here appears every other week in Enjoy! Contact her at 845-454-3222 or LMR@ArtsMidHudson.org.
