 |
Member Since: Jan-28-2008
Views: 295
A native to Utah, Artist Ruby Chacón, is recognized as one of the contemporary voices in American Art. She caught the attention of collectors with a distinct style and approach in her brush strokes, extreme detail, color and subject. Without being didactic, she picked up the theme of her Mexican heritage and revealed large close-ups of family members, ancestors, friends, etc. Her work brought a fresh, yet startling, revelation to old themes.
These figures transcend the canvas with emotion and impact leaving the viewer wondering about the stories, the lives and the histories of the people in the images on the surface. Images of farmers, sheepherders, women making tortillas, tattooed men in hairnets, natives and much more, these are not the happy romantic and nostalgic faces of immigrant workers seen in prints across the Southwest. These are bold, honest looks at humanity, faces that are tired, hands that are scarred, men that are dignified in their work and women who have lived lifetimes. This documentary aspect of her work quickly attracted the attention of various groups, who saw not only a unique signature, but also an important voice in American history who is capturing and telling the Chicano narrative with all its complexities and contradictions. With the same fervor she brought to her paintings she launched into muralism and has left a permanent record on the streetscapes of Salt Lake City, Utah
Ruby Chacón has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work including, but not limited to: The National Cultural Heritage Award, The Salt Lake City Mayor's Award for Visual Arts, The Governor's Award for Visual Arts. In 2006 she was nominated as Utahn of the year by the Salt Lake Tribune. In 2008 she was acknowledged as 1 of the top 25 cultural power brokers in the state of Utah. Other acknowledgments include: one of the 20 most influential Latinos in the State of Utah, one of the top 20 artists to collect, best Self Portraits and many more. Chacón is certain to be an artist who leaves her name in the historical record as she discovers herself again and again.
|
Latest Media: |  |
| Ernie with La Virgen |
| Feb-13-08 |
| Comments: 0 | |
