Cesar Menedez was born in Sansonate, El Salvador in 1954. According to the Latino Museum of History and Culture, Menendez’s paintings are in the surreal style exploring tough themes of like death and tragedy. His first exhibition was held in 1976 in his homeland.

A piece of his that intrigued me is called “Mujer y Caballo” in English this means Woman and Horse. This picture is a really confusing. The confusion does seem to show the theme of death and tragedy in this picture. A headless body of a woman and an angry looking horse stand together.

It reminds me of a dream a little in that there is an order that in a strange way seems to make sense. This confusing state of disorder along with the sharp colors is fascinating. A museum describes this work as “the metamorphosis from the real to the unreal in ghastly colors, his characters pretend to behave

Another one of his pictures is called “Temas del Infierno” in English it is translated as topics of the inferno. This picture shocks me more then the previous one. The sky is a dark red color people here are obviously struggling. A body is leaping backwards which turns into smoke in the distance. Headless bodies and torso are flying around. A train is about to hit the struggling people. It is amazing how I can feel how fast the train is moving. Cesar Menedez intrigues me. His work is very bold and gruesome. While I would not want his work in my home, it is unique.

Examining the works of these four artists has taught me a great deal. A byproduct of analyzing their works is learning a great deal about their respective countries: El Salvador, Cuba, Mexico, and Ecuador. It is clear that South American artists have much in common, many enjoy using a variety of bright colors and like making a bold statements. Documentary is a very popular trend among modern artists.

Another interesting artist by the name of Oswaldo Viteri was born in Ambato, Ecuador in 1931. In the late 1960s this artist left abstract painting. He went back to oil painting, and showing what he saw. His paintings after the 1960s were less constrained then other (non-abstract) paintings yet they were more structured then abstract-gestural paintings.

Some topics in this essay:
Woman Horse, Cuba Fors, Ambato Ecuador, Guide Fors', Infierno” English, Alejandro Colunga’s, Europe According, Guadalajara Mexico, South American, Alejandro Colunga, bright colors, bright colors bold, south america, colors bold, cesar menedez, alejandro colunga, american artists, el salvador, middle collection, jose fors’, distinct style, colors bold statements,