121SHOW PREVIEWpreservation. Why are we simultaneously
fascinated and horrified by the prospect of
grave danger and self-destruction? What
instincts might this indulgence satisfy and
how do they serve us, if they do at all?”
Moonlit, an egg tempera painting by
Reyes, is from a series of works that plays
with the extremes, the light and darkness.
Particularly, he uses the image of a figure
stepping out of the darkness into moon-
light—in the early morning hours, just after
midnight. “I loved the idea of a figure step-
ping out of the darkness into one of these
beams, and being flooded by an unearthly
light,” he elaborates. “It was important to
me that I preserve that sense of illumi-
nation, and the symbolic power of light
shattering the darkness. I tried to imagine
myself ‘weaving’ strands of light with
every brushstroke, which is not so hard to
imagine when working with egg tempera.
One of the things that egg tempera does
better than oils, in my opinion, is capture
the ‘air’ in shadows, which keeps them
alive and visually interesting in spite of
how dark they may appear.”
Van der Leeuw’s painting Girl with
Collar evolved to a painting from a portrait
as a World War I survivor that is part of
series of ballpoint pen drawings based
loosely on the work of Anna Coleman
Ladd. After seeing a portrait photo by
Brazilian artist Amaral of Auschwitz
victim Czesława Kwoka, a shift in van
der Leeuw’s painting went from a current
portrait to a portrait as a young girl. “[The
work] changed again into a portrait that
is about defiance in the face of adversity,
about heroism against all odds and the
resilience of hope,” the artist explains.
Chistov’s painting In the Garden is
another included in the show. Discussing
the piece, the artist says, “The Huntington
Library provides the best of both worlds:
art and nature. While on site, my wife and
I discovered this mesmerizing, peaceful
space with a bench surrounded by plants
and trees. The beautiful setting along with
the serene atmosphere was the inspiration
behind this painting.”Arcadia Contemporary
39 E. Colorado Boulevard • Pasadena, CA 91105 •
(626) 486-2018 • http://www.arcadiacontemporary.com1
Julio Reyes, Moonlit,
egg tempera on
panel, 9 x 9¼"
2
Hans van der Leeuw,
Girl with Collar,
oil on panel, 9 x 9"
3
Cesar Santander
Verticals, acrylic on
panel, 15 x 19"
4
Jesse Stern, Impulse
Response II, graphite
on paper, 23½ x 20¼"
5
Alexander Chistov,
In the Garden, oil on
panel, 12 x 12"
45