Cisma

Cisma

26'' x 18''

In Castillan, Cisma means schism: to split, rend. It is a breach of the unity of the visible church, the division of the church or some portion of it, into separate and mutually hostile organizations.

A red winged, green head with serpents for horns poised in the foreground atop a red and white polka-dot cloud and a tall platform like the pagan temples of antiquity are the central figures in this complex composition including apparently opposing forces adorned with rosy hearts, the one, and pointy petaled red centers, the other. Crowns, flags, puppet angels, shields and helmets, chinless spectators, clustered buildings, and parallel rivers load the picture with socio-cultural elements that seem to reference greater Chaos than Nationalism, Community, or Politics. The abundant details certainly satisfy a horror vacui of which Jorge and I, (and many periods of artistic expression), might be accused or defined. You can see the large puzzle pieces of composition typical of our work in the Seventies begin to dissolve in this painting. In the Eighties almost every field broke into radiating bands of miniscule variants of color. I prided myself on how smoothly I could lead the eye across such darkening or lightening stripes. I loved becoming one with the tiny bead of paint on the tip of a perfect brush and descending at the same time into the paper to receive and form it. It was a visual place I had found and, with Jorge's help, in the Eighties I went there. In this painting, Cisma, we began to take that direction