Prudence

About Fernando Reyes

Fernando Reyes cuts geometric shapes and elements from custom paper templates – mono-prints that have been printed, designed, and patterned by hand. He then utilizes a fine-grained collage process to carefully assemble each piece and… Read more

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Fernando Reyes cuts geometric shapes and elements from custom paper templates – mono-prints that have been printed, designed, and patterned by hand. He then utilizes a fine-grained collage process to carefully assemble each piece and create full-frame nudes. The result, astonishing in its vibrancy and sensory cues, is a cubist-style paper assemblage modeled after Henri Matisse’s paper cutouts.

In fact, a key moment of inspiration in his artistic development can be traced back to an encounter with Henri Matisse’s legendary MoMa exhibition The Cut Outs. Reyes traveled to New York in 2014 and found himself enthralled by the works on display. Early in his career, the artist specialized in classical paintings; Now, his repertoire has expanded to include diverse techniques. Reyes developed a unique and intensely poetic style that combines print, collage, drawing, and painting in a synergetic way to form new realities.

At the center of his Paper Doll series are geometrically designed nude collages. The bodies on display are expressive and echo Reyes’ original drawings. Set against an oil paint backdrop, the radiant figures communicate with viewers in a subtle and non-verbal manner. Both paint and print color patterns enhance the complex composition. This powerful and multifaceted visual language alludes to classical modernism – the rhythmic use of complementary colors, the freedom of the nudes, and the transparent penetration of color surfaces are all reminiscent of Matisse, Picasso, and Ozenfant. Even pre-modern sculpture with its clear emphasis on body proportions appears to permeate the associative space. From a patchwork of specially designed elements, multi-sensory imagery is born – along with an expressive representation of the body that speaks for itself.

Fernando Reyes is a California native who studied at San Francisco City College from 1991 - 1993 and earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 1997. He lives and works in Oakland, where he maintains two studios. His paintings have been widely exhibited in solo and group shows in place like Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland. Before devoting himself entirely to art, Reyes worked in banking for 17 years.

VITA

1997	The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, BFA
1991-1993	San Francisco City College

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

2022	Spotlight, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2021	Rhythms, Pamela Walsh Gallery, Palo Alto CA
2020	This Land, Mercury Twenty Gallery, Oakland CA
2019	Looking Back Cutting Forward, Mercury Twenty Gallery, Oakland CA Construct/Deconstruct/Reconstruct, BOND LATIN GALLERY, SF
2018	The Figure Progresses, Mercury Twenty Gallery, Oakland CA An Artist's Evolution 1991 - 2017 (Retrospective), The Mexican Museum SF, San Francisco, CA
2017	Making the Cut, Mercury20 Gallery, Oakland, CA
2016	Paper Dolls, Mercury20 Gallery, Oakland, CA
2015	Dance Dream Drama, Mercury20 Gallery, Oakland, CA The Figure, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2012	Incarnate, Nieto Fine Art, San Francisco, CA Form, RiskPress Gallery, Sebastopol, CA
2009	EMBLEMATIC INK - Drawings of Tattooed Men, Underglass, San Francisco, CA Sweet Dreams, Reaves Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Group Exhibitions

2022	Being Human: The Figurative Show, SFWA Gallery, San Francisco, United States
2020	Truth/Dare 20/20, Mercury Twenty Gallery, Oakland, United States Seeking Nature, Pamela Walsh Gallery, Palo Alto, United States
2019	Below the Surface: Grids, Layers & Arrays, STUDIO Gallery, San Francisco, United States FourSquared 10th Annual, Arc Gallery, SF United States stARTup SF, Hotel Del Sol, San Francisco United States Self-Portraits in the Age of Selfies, Mercury Twenty Gallery, Oakland, United Staates stARTup Art Fair LA, Venice Beach, United States KOLAJ, Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery, Lafayette, United States
2018	Construct, Luna Reinne Gallery, San Francisco, United States CALIFAS, Art of the US-Mexico Borderlands, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, United States Affordable Art Series 6, Luna Rienne Gallery, San Francisco, United States stARTup SF, Hotel Del Sol, San Francisco United States Pillars, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, United States Melting Point, Mercury 20 Gallery, Oakland, United States Paradise Lost, Back To The Picture, San Francisco, United States
2017	9th Annual 50/50 Small Work Show, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, United States Summer of Love, Bay Area Exhibition, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, United States stARTup SF, Hotel Del Sol, San Francisco, United States Luxe, Chimmaya Gallery, Los Angeles, United States A Passion for the Figure, Back to the Picture Gallery, San Francisco, United States