Javier Peña

Mexican painter, Javier Peña, portrays abstract compositions of browns, whites, blues and deep reds whose dynamism springs from the strength of his brush strokes, a subtle sense of direction and layering. He acknowledges the inspiration of post-war abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollock and Paul-Émile Borduas, but the impression of gazing at a collage of paints also echoes the stylistic traditions found in Dadaim. Rendered in varying strokes, Peña’s colors take on personalities generated through their tone and the style of their application.

Intense, revealing emotional portraits emerge from the meshing, overpowering and dueling of broad blues, resilient browns, erratic reds and hovering whites. Though titles often hint at his abstractions’ subjects, Peña adroitly visualizes psychic portraits of measured contemplation, perilous calm and total frenzy. The works emerge from personal experiences, but the stripped language of color and movement makes his emotional language universally legible. Widely recognizable yet nuanced and complex, Peña introduces us to our feelings by revealing his own.