If genius really is a form of madness, Carlos Nicolas proves that insanity can at least be aesthetically pleasing. “Through the Mind’s Eye” showcases the artist’s modern take on beauty through a series of abstractions that will take you on a “cruz” to imaginary universes without losing you in a sea of conceptual bewilderment.
Nicolas’s style is something of a cross between Kandinsky’s geometric abstractions and Pollock’s drip technique, though the final products are enshrouded in an ethereal mystery that stands apart from the process. Dynamic strokes and scribbles, seemingly haphazard and chaotic, guide the eye through the depths of the artist’s imagination on a directionless journey of pure, rich aesthetics. Though the Chilean artist works within the conventions of modern abstraction, he attempts to unite the elusive form with art’s traditional purpose of defining a beauty that isn’t subject to taste.
Most of Nicolas’s works are untitled, distinguished solely by the dominant color on the canvas. They bear no resemblance to worldly objects, only vaguely defined shapes and marks which unite to create the impression of reality filtered through the mind. Cruz is the exception. Amidst the abstract elements which unify the piece with the rest of the collection are discernable shapes and figures that invoke subtle glimpses of reality. Hidden within piercing slashes and swirls of pastel and ink are animal and human faces, a crudely rendered cross, and a blue sky juxtaposed with a setting sun. It is as if Nicolas has clipped out fragments of memory and spliced them together to recreate the disorder and chaos of the mind’s retrospection.
“Through the Mind’s Eye” also explores the visual potential of basic elements, such as pure color and over-simplified shapes, to achieve distance and energy. Nicolas rarely blends his materials, working instead in textural layers to further the illusion of depth. Though this technique achieves a fantastical otherworldliness, his pieces ultimately attain aesthetic pleasure through balance. In his Pollock-esque compositions, paint, pastels and beeswax are distributed evenly, creating a uniform vitality that circulates within the four corners of the canvas. Conversely, his predominantly red canvases seem to mimic abstracted landscapes, as dark, linear color dominates the forefront while more subdued tones recede into the distance.
Carlos Nicolas’s works, currently on display at the Knew Gallery in Georgetown, manage to elicit the complexities of the human imagination using only the basic qualities of visual experience. Inspired by both modern and ancient traditions, “Through the Mind’s Eye” successfully unites contemporary abstract technique with classic aesthetics to propel the viewer into an unforgettable pictorial odyssey.
The Knew Gallery is located at 1639 Wisconsin Avenue near Q St. The exhibit is free and running through Dec. 18th.
