Sanchez Exhibit Offers Introspection

Minotaurs in the thinking pose, bulls falling from the sky and winged depictions of angels and devils are usually reminscent of Ancient Greece. In a new exhibit at the Duke University Museum of Art, curated by Duke professor of literature Ariel Dorfman, the artist Pedro Sanchez uses these mythological images to bring his Spanish heritage into modernity. The exhibit, Conjuros, is the second in an academic series at the museum.

With five paintings and 10 prints, Sanchez uses different mediums and compositions to relate quest for an identity. A native of Spain, Sanchez moved to Chile in 1988 where he first read and admired the Dorfman's works. There, they became acquainted and acquired a mutual respect for one another's art and writing. Dorfman chose Sanchez for the exhibit, decided which works would be displayed and told The Herald-Sun of Durham that Sanchez's works helped him find new meaning in his own.

Many of the paintings and prints are reminiscent of Goya's, sharing the emotionally charged countenances and warm vibrant colors. The brush strokes and circular compositions also echo Goya's war scenes, especially his "Executions of the 3rd of May."

His paintings are filled with thought-provoking compositions. Classic icons rich with Spanish bull fighting tradition are juxtaposed with rhythmic geometric patterns. Triangles are a major part of his works. There are usually three main elements of the piece arranged in a triangular formation. Also interspersed are numerous circles and spheres, which hint at shapes and images that lie beneath the surface.

Some of the paintings have an eerie and poignant feeling, with complex symbols and labyrinths. The beauty of the works, though, lie in their painstakingly uncomplicated composition. The lines are clean and clear and the different images stand out and have significance on their own, yet if you look further you see hidden meanings and connections.

Sanchez's own search for his identity was the inspiration for the exhibit. He told The Herald-Sun, "My art is a look at Spain, but a look from afar.

"In Chile, I questioned who I was, and I had to leave Spain to find out who I was," he said. Sanchez shows through this exhibit how the themes of life and death, labyrinths and traditions, religious and secular beliefs are relevent not only to his own journey toward self-discovery, but also for anyone whose national identity or multi-national identity is essential to his character.