Carlos Cruz-Díez

Infobox Artist
name = Carlos Cruz-Diez
birthdate = Birth date and age|1923|8|17|mf=y
nationality = Venezuelan
training = Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Aplicadas
movement = Kinetic and Op Art
works = Physicromie Series
influenced by = Seurat, Albers

Carlos Cruz-Díez (born August 17, 1923 in Caracas) is a Venezuelan kinetic and op artist. He is a well-known international artist, currently based in Paris. He has spent his professional career working and teaching between both Paris and Caracas. He has become an icon in the Latin American art world, and his work is represented in museums and public art sites internationally. He is currently represented by two American galleries: Sicardi Gallery in Houston, Texas, and Moka Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.

Education and training

Cruz-Díez studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Aplicadas in Caracas between 1940-45, with training in both art education and manual arts. In 1947, he studied advertising in New York, while returning to his role as the art director for the McCann Erickson advertising agency in Caracas, a role he held between 1946-51. While his professional career was in the midst of developing, Cruz-Diez traveled to Europe. In 1955-56, he visited Paris and Barcelona, where he was exposed to art movements such as geometric abstraction and the Bauhaus’ ideas on combining art and industry. After his visit to Europe, he returned to Venezuela and opened the Estudio de Artes Visuales. Turner, Jane. The Grove Dictionary of Art. London: Oxford University Press 1996.] His time at McCann Erikson contributed to his growing interest in color and color theory, which eventually became one of the defining components of his work. He taught History of Applied Art at the Caracas School of Fine Arts from 1953 to 1955. He also worked as a designer and illustrator for the newspaper El Nacional, Caracas. His professional experience in advertising and exposure to photography, combined with the new artistic ideas acquired abroad inspired him to explore color concepts within a new medium that was responsive to and representative of the demands on modern society.

In 1957, he returned to Venezuela and worked at his studio, Estudio de Artes Visuales, and started investigating the role of color in kinetic art. He also worked as a graphic designer for the Education Ministry publications, Caracas. Chilvers, Ian. The Oxford Dictionary of Art, Third Edition, London: Oxford University Press ISBN 9780198604761] During 1958-1960, he served as the Assistant Director and Professor at the Caracas School of Fine Arts. During 1959-60, he also taught Typographie and Graphic Design at the School of Journalism, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas. In 1965, Cruz-Díez the Centre culturel Noroit, Arras, France, as a graphic designer. During 1972-73, he taught Kinetic Techniques at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris and Universite d'Enseignement et de Recherches. From 1973 to 1980, he served as as a member of the jury for diploma of École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. From 1986 to 1993, he was the Titular Professor and Director of the Art Unit of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IDEA), Caracas. Bio and Resume from Moka Gallery, retrieved on 2007-7-30 ]

Influences

During Cruz-Diez's time in school, he studied the work of Georges Seurat and Josef Albers, both artists who experimented with color relationships, aesthetics and perception. While in Europe, he was not only influenced by the Art Movements, he also was influenced by the European surrounding, particularly the plant life, which differed so much from the plant life in his native Venezuela. (concepts of art) He could have, quite possibly been drawn to the variance in color and form. Cruz-Diez is often associated with two Venezuelan Kinetic Artists, Jesus Soto and Alejandro Otero. All three artists share aesthetic similarities in structure and form, and are considered to have secured Venezuela’s position in the international art world. Although Cruz-Diez arrived in Paris ten years after Soto, their national and artistic connections are apparent.

ocial/Political Context

Although Cruz-Diez's career was spent between Caracas and Paris, the political unrest and development in Venezuela directly affected his career. Venezuela existed under dictatorship for decades, with Juan Vincente Gomez from 1903 until his death in 1935. His rule influenced the academic art institutions, with little room for growth of the Venezuelan avant-garde. His successor, Eleazar Lopez Contreras changed the artistic climate by supporting study of artists such as Cezanne and other European Modernist painters. After World War II several Venezuelan artists were able to study abroad, often in Paris. Sullivan, Edward. Latin American Art in the Twentieth Century. London: Phaidon Press Ltd. 1996 ] At the same the culture began to change because of industrialization and urbanization, which was directly tied to Venezuela’s exportation of oil. The new challenges faced by the development of modernity presented a receptive audience for Cruz-Diez, which allowed for a break in the traditional artists of Venezuela. (Traditionally painters before 1950) The new cultural climate, which was receptive to the Kinetic Artist, was directly linked to the new technological advancements represented by the Kinetic artists. Traba, Marta. Art of Latin America 1900-1980. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press 1994 ] During 1948-1958 Venezuela existed under a military rule – and the Venezuelan Kinetic artists were often associated with elite social group because they were embraced by the government and supported and commissioned by industry and corporations. Barnitz, Jacqueline. Twentieth-Century Art of Latin America. Austin: University of Texas Press 2001e ] Cruz-Diez’s Op Art became popular with the political elite, often because the art lacked any political message.

Description of style

Cruz-Diez has consistently worked through his career focusing solely on color, line and (viewer) perception. His visual style can be consistently identified throughout his work spanning his entire career. His work contains an element in which the viewer actively participates in viewing the work because the color changes and presents a sensation of movement as the relative position of the viewer changes. Cruz-Diez uses the moiré effect to produce this sensation of motion by his particular composition of lines. Popper, Frank. Origins and Development of Kinetic Art. Greenwich: New York Graphic Society Ltd. 1968] Because the image of his work changes as the viewer changes locations, he refers to this changing effect of the image as “vibrations.” Stangos, Nikos. Concepts of Modern Art. London: Thames and Hudson 1981 ] In 1959 Cruz-Diez started working in radiation of color, essentially colored light - which is a form of wavelengths, and abandoned paint as a medium. Cruz-Diez often referred to environment and events and part the experience of viewing his art. Because he was working with light and perception, his environment most likely needed to be controlled. Since the perception of the piece changes with the viewer movement, the individual images presented were considered events. Interesting enough these were terms used by the Fluxus group, who were also internationally based, and working around the same time, the late fifties and early sixties.

Throughout his career Cruz-Diez has focused on four types of self-defined op art Categories: Physichoromies, Choromointerferences, Chromosaturations, and Transchromies. Gale Group, The. "Carlos Cruz-Diez." Contemporary Artists, 5th ed. St. James Press, 2001. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/Bio ] All of his color-based experiments focus on variations of the observer’s position in relation to the work, the light directed at the work, and the relationship between the colors presented. Of the above mentions, seemingly, the most popular and possibly most archival is the Physichromie, which are all entitled “Physchromie” with a number listed after to indicate its uniqueness. (see list and images) He also created sensory deconditioning rooms, which provided an experience that included visual, sound and tactile experience, a total phrenological experience.

Interpretation

Cruz-Diez is often associated with the Kinetic Art Movement, which relies on movement, particularly that of the object. As an Op or Operational Artist, Cruz-Diez relies on the movement of the viewer rather than the movement of the art object itself. The Op Movement stems directly from the Kinetic Movement, and is often considered a part of the Kinetic Movement as well. Cruz-Diez has been consistent throughout his career in pursing his interest in color, and presenting his formal sensibility. His work presents geometric abstracted forms with a strong emphasis on color, to create a visual experience. Because of Cruz-Diez’s attention to color, line and space (environment), his work has significant form, as defined by Clive Bell. Francina, Francis. Modern Art and Modernism: A Critical Anthology. New York: Haper and Row Publishers 1982 ] Cruz-Diez breaks down color and form to their elemental qualities, and engages the viewer on an emotional level without the use of naturalistic imagery. Bell defined aesthetic emotion as a unique response to the viewer’s experience while engaging with a work of art. Cruz-Diez proactively engages the viewer in this experience by the constantly changing line and color.

Legacy

On December 17, 1997, the Carlos Cruz-Diez Print and Design Museum in Caracas, Venezuela, opened to the public. The museum offers education and resources to the general public to expand artistic audiences, while supporting contemporary Venezuelan artists. The museum will strive to create a, “graphic image of the country,” Benko, Susana. Inauguration of the Carlos Cruz-Diez Print and Design Museum. Art Nexus no28 (May/July 1998) p. 36 ] Carlos-Cruz Diez serves as founder and president. One of Cruz-Diez’s sculptures, constructed in Caracas, Venezuela, was recently demolished to make way for a scenic view of a port. It was noted that the structure was covered in graffiti, not maintained by public works and became more of an eye sore than a work of art. After Cruz-Diez offered to send his own studio apprentices to help with the restoration of the work, to Cruz-Diez’s and several art advocacy groups’ disapproval, the Caracas government continued with the demolition. Marquez, Humberto. VENEZUELA: PUSH TO 'TEAR DOWN THIS WALL' ANGERS MURAL ARTIST, Inter Press Service November 16, 2005 ]

Recently, a contemporary London-based Venezuelan artist, Jaime Gili, exhibited “Homenaje a Cruz-Diez, 2006” in Riflemaker Gallery, Soho, NY using colored tiles and metal sheets. The pieces of tiles came directly from Cruz-Diez now defunct public structure, “Fisicromia Homenaje a Don Andres Bello, 1982. Schwabsky, Barry. Review: Jamie Gili: Riflemaker. Artforum May 2006 ] This homage to the Venezuelan icon represents the impact Cruz-Diez has left on the new generation of emerging artists with cultural ties to Venezuela. In contrast to the isolated incident of the demolition his public work, he has been commemorated by the museum, designed a large piece for the Caracas international airport, and is know as a leader in the kinetic art movement, as well as a pioneer in bringing Venezuelan art into the international art scene.

In 1997, Cruz-Díez was appointed for life, the President and member of Superior Council of "Museo de la Estampa y del Diseño Carlos Cruz DÍez" Foundation, Caracas. In 1998, he was appointed as an honorary member of Academia de Ciencias, Arte y Letras, Merida, Venezuela.Carlos Cruz-Díez has had individual exhibitions in several museums and galleries, including Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas (1955), Museum am Ostwall in Dortmund (1966), XXXV Venice Biennale in Italy (1970), and Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico (1976). He was a special guest at the 1986 Venice Biennale.

His works have recently sold in US auction at $55,000 Hodge, Shelby. Latin American Art / Sold! Auction reaps rewards for MFAH, Houston Chronicle. 15 March 2007 ] He is represented in museums internationally, and is a pioneer in artistic color theory and perception. Despite his lack of political content in his work, he still remains an international Venezuelan icon, because of the progress contributed to the fine and graphic art worlds in Caracas and abroad. It has been noted that Kinetic Art is to Venezuela what Muralism is to Mexico.

Because of his attention to light and color aesthetics he belongs to a lineage that includes all colorists, such as Seurat, Cezanne, Albers, and Frank Stella.

List of works

*Physichromie No. 113 - 1963, Tate Gallery, London UK
*Physichromie No. 123 - 1964, Tate Gallery, London UK
*Physichromie No. 394 - 1968, The Blanton Museum of Art, Austin TX
*Physichromie No. 506 - 1970, Centre Pompidou, Paris France
*Physichromie No. 1270 - 1990, The University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art, Colchester UK
*Physichromie No. 1288 - 1993, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge UK
*Untitled - 1996, The University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art, Colchester UK
*Physichromie No. 2346 - 1996, Sicardi Gallery, Houston TX
*Physichromie No. 2385 - 1998, Sicardi Gallery, Houston TX
*Cliché Coul - 2004, Centre Pompidou, Paris France

Gallery exhibitions

* "Geometric Abstraction: Latin American Art from the Patricica Phelps de Cisneros Cellection", Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University August-November 2001, Cambridge, MA.
* "Cordoba Has III Bienal Interamericana de Arte", October 1966, Cordoba, Argentina.
*"Venezuelan Art Show presented by the Consulate General of Venezuela", Galeria Venezuela, October 1980, New York, NY.
*"Physichromies de Cruz-Diez: Oeuvres do 1954 a 1965", Galerie Kerchache, 1965, Paris, France.
*"Physichromies, Couleur Additive, Induction Chromatique, Chromointerferences", Galerie Denise René, 1971, New York, NY.

References

Other sources

* Bann, Stephen. Four Essays on Kinetic Art. St. Albans: Motion Books 1966.
* Brett, Guy. Kinetic Art. New York: Reinhold Book Corporation 1968.
* Frank Popper "Origins and Development of Kinetic Art", Studio Vista and New York Graphic Society, 1968
* Chacon, Katherine. Carlos Cruz-Diez: Cultural Center of the Fundacion Corp Group Art Nexus no44 April/June 2002
* Glueck, Grace. ART REVIEW: A Universe of Art, Centered in Boston. New York Times August 17, 2001.
* Latin American Research Review Vol. 3, No. 1 (Autumn, 1967), pp. 189-90
* On Campus: The University of Texas at Austin Sept 13, 1999 Constructive Horizons: The Latin American Perspective.
* Yunes, Gladis. Luisa Richter: Museo de la Estampa y del Diseno Carlos Cruz-Diez. Art Nexus no43 Ja/Mr 2002

External links

* [http://www.cruz-Diez.com/ Official Webpage]
* [http://www.sicardi.com/artists/profile.cfm?artistid=113 Sicardi Gallery Houston]
* [http://www.mokagallery.com/artists/cruzdiez/cruzdiezresume.html Moka Gallery Chicago]
* [http://www.durbansegnini.com/CarlosCruz-Diez.htm Durban-Segnini Gallery Caracas/Miami]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=964&page=1 Tate Gallery London]
* [http://www.embavenez-us.org/_spanish/?pagina=pag_culture_thirty.php&titulo=Cultura Embassy of Venezuela in the United States]
* [http://www.misionvenezuela.org/ingles/cultural/index.htm Embassy of the Bolivarina Republic of Venezuela in Canada ]
* [http://www.museum.oas.org/permanent.html Art Museum of the Americas - Permanent Collection]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGLcOiWqznk Youtube Video of Cruz-Diez's Work]
* [http://www.literalmagazine.com/pdf/Portada_L09.pdf#page=33 A conversation with Carlos Cruz Diez by Rose Mary Salum in Literal]