Description
‘Reluctance’ by Zach Mendoza
Artist: Zach Mendoza
Title: ‘Reluctance’
Medium: Oil on panel
Dimensions: 14″ x 11″
Framing: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2021
About the Artwork:
“In this piece, I initially wanted to paint a semi-self-portrait but it took a turn somewhere and became something altogether different. Lucian Freud said that “Every artist paints himself” and I think that this much is inescapable always. I began painting a figure who I believed expressed moderate agony, but as I painted on, I think the prevailing emotion became more of reluctance or distain. I’ve always been fascinated with the subtleties of human expression and how close very disparate emotions are on the face. I added a halo clipped from Guagin’s “Self Portrait with a Halo and Snake” for good measure.” – Zach Mendoza
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
After graduating with honors from Art Center College of design in 2015, Zach’s exhibition history has continued to grow throughout the United States. His work has been featured in a number of galleries and in national publications including New American Paintings and Creative Quarterly among others. He has participated in numerous group shows and a number of solo shows as well. Of his work, Zach says “It is often a mishmash of ideas, images, half-truths and afterimages that become almost ghoulish amalgams of the sum of their parts. The process of creating, destroying, and then reassembling the ruins is a regular aspect of my work.”