Rogelio Manzo - Deborah

122 x 122 x 7 cm

For Rogelio Manzo, the practice of portraiture is more than a way to capture a likeness. His darkly compelling images of the human figure reflect a blend of cultural influences--as well as an underlying concern for the fragility of life. The artist, who moved from his native Mexico as a youngster, first settled near relatives in Reno, Nevada, then found his way to Sacramento.

In most of these works, Manzo places the figures in the foreground with rarely a sense of an environment. Thus, the viewer is forced to focus on the Cubistic fragmented visages and figures that are painted with an expressionistic fervor. The surfaces of these oil paintings range from thick impasto to thin washes, with areas of the background is left bare. This treatment adds to the sensation of his subjects being flayed to reveal their innermost feelings; the artist has great freedom to “let the painting develop by itself,” he explains.

Manzo’s work is shown throughout USA, Mexico and Europe, at solo and group shows in commercial galleries, international art fairs and museums, most notably at The Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City. His work has been included in important private collections throughout the Karen and Robert Duncan Art Collection and of El Museo de La Cancilleria, Mexico City