Samuel Rodriguez: a Mosaic artist?
Despite the enormous amount of information available about this artist, it is not easy for non-specialists to differentiate his paintings from mosaic art patterns. Rodriguez is not known as a mosaic artist; however, it is hard to not compare his recent vision with mosaic patterns. His paintings illustrate the multifaceted identities of his subjects. Instead of portraying an ideal whole, Rodriguez splinters his compositions to suggest that we are made up of more than just a single belief, history, or culture. Not far off the classification of mosaic art—the art of creating patterns with an assemblage of small pieces of variously-colored material.
Envisioning mosaic patterns not as an object but as a process necessitates awareness in philosophy and conceptual art. Mosaic art is first and foremost a conceptual trend, integrating numerous visual forms of expression.
The main purpose of Rodriguez’s vision is to develop a new concept and revamp the identity of mosaic art, hence we move beyond the boundaries of the art world, addressing the widest sphere of culture and oneness instead.
Capturing the multifaceted characteristics of themes, Samuel Rodriguez’s paintings have become a great inspiration for art enthusiasts. In his modern portraits, he does not intend to paint an ideal whole, but to instead fracture any composition. The artist metaphorically illustrates the fact that we are made up of more than just a single belief, history, or culture.
One of his favorite forms of music is the art of mixing: The process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channel(s). The artist tries to depict the visual form of rhythm through his note collections. Just like a mosaic artwork, the movement in his paintings manifests our different beliefs, different yearnings, and different hopes, fitting into the larger mosaic pattern of life!
Rodriguez is a people-watcher who usually finds interest in everyone’s unique blend and character. His work integrates fundamentals of life expressions. His goal is to reconstruct moments through a mix of figurative and mosaic-like paintings. Rodriguez drives towards themes of race and ethnicity, with a constant purpose of mirroring the element that, in our diversity, we are all similar. His African collection is a perfect invitation against racism, where the artist describes the skin tones as swatches. For him, labels and associations—although convenient for the sake of conversation—are as abstract and relative as painting and composing on a canvas itself, which means that they should be played around with. Thus, he has been illustrating his vision through his experimental portraits, through mixed treatments, and by utilizing textile patterns.
Under the title of “Assembling the Pieces: Memory & Hybrid Identity”, the artist has recently unveiled his new artworks, at MACLA in San Jose. His recent vision was an annex to his modern portraits, bringing into question the idea of identity and oneness.
What do you think? Should we consider Samuel Rodriguez a mosaic artist? Share with us your thoughts in the comment box below.
See his Artist Portfolio here: Samuel Rodriguez Art
Image Credits
Images are Copyright © 2015 Sam Rodriguez Art—All rights reserved.
Guest Author Bio
Chantal Menhem
Chantal Menhem was born in Beirut, Lebanon. She is a graphic designer, visual artist and blogger. Chantal’s paintings illustrate a knowledge and creativeness from the resources of the universe. Rather than reproducing space scenes on a canvas, she intends to convey an epitome, using a wide variation of media. Before one tries to make sense of her art work, one must sense the mystery. A single swing can be enough to distress the outwardly normal situation, collapsing and exposing our unconscious connection to the universe. After unveiling her cosmic collection in 2014 at Exode Gallery, she started participating in several art fairs, silent auctions and exhibitions in Lebanon, India and Italy. Chantal is a member and art gatherings organizer at Lebanese Talents. She is also a member of international artistic organizations, Art Colosseum, W1 Art London and Zervas Art, Greece.
Blog / Website: mozaico
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