National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
John Valadez: American\Hispanic American\Mexican American
John Valadez: Latino
John Valadez: American\Hispanic American\Chicano
Exhibition Label
A master of acrylic airbrushed paintings, Gaspar Enriquez has for many decades created paintings that focus on Chicano identity. His work ranges from large-scale, wall-sized work to small illustrations focusing on Mexican American life, and subjects who range from neighbors to celebrities. Often his portraits depict fellow artists and others from his community in El Paso and beyond. This large likeness of Los Angeles painter John Valadez is part of an ongoing project called De Puro Corazon (Pure Heart), which includes portraits of artists he admires for their passionate dedication to their practice. Created in a gray scale, reflecting its photographic source, the portrait is a confrontational image, capturing the dramatic intensity of his friend.
Maestro de la pintura acrílica con aerógrafo, Gaspar Enríquez lleva décadas creando obras centradas en la identidad chicana. Su trabajo abarca desde obras a gran escala, que cubren toda una pared, hasta pequeñas escenas de la vida mexicoamericana, y sus modelos van desde vecinos hasta celebridades. A menudo retrata a colegas artistas, incluidos los de su comunidad en El Paso. Este retrato en gran formato del pintor John Valadez, oriundo de Los Ángeles, forma parte de un proyecto en curso llamado De puro corazón, que incluye retratos de artistas que Enríquez admira por su dedicación apasionada a su oficio. Ejecutado en tonos de grises, lo cual refleja su origen fotográfico, este retrato es una imagen provocadora que capta la intensidad dramática de su amigo.
