| At the threshold of a new millenium, thanks
to the recognition of the knowing eye, some symbols persist as inspiration. These signs remain because, whether they were given by nature or created by human endeavor, they are recognized by the spirit. As ancient as life itself, the tree -- in its role as a sign -- was born at the same moment as human consciousness. As a familiar figure, the tree assumes the foundation of an order in our minds and emotions. And when this order is set in motion by an artist it may be transformed by something from that artist’s inner world. There is no previous statement or meditation in the work of Rolando González. Its aesthetic character lies in the transformation, the transmutation, of the tree as a sign. This act is a transfiguration, but it is a transfiguration which preserves an essence - and even distills it. Emphasis is on form: branches, logs, wooden boxes, pieces free of any preliminary intervention set to intentionally minimize loss of memory. In this way, they articulate a clean degree of naturalness. González’s works stem from recycled material but not for purely ecological intention: they display traces of an anticipated history. His assemblages seem to be "discovered" in a delicate way while the artist plays with their elements. While the work is created, freedom comes face to face with chance. The final result is an aesthetic position tuned perfectly to the the artistic point of view: each element is stubbornly independent while somehow working in concert with the other parts to form a unified whole. Rolando says that he plays when he works. He liberates his imagination to work spontaneously. The color -- austere and quiet -- appears in a subtle range that disappears progressively until it melds with the colors in the original material. A little red, or maybe blue, will show up in his works without any bearing any crucial meaning as a reminder of the independence of the artist’s emotional disposition as creator. No order rules in a determining way. The artist certainly suggests an order when he arranges his works. But, at the same time, he leaves room for the viewer to rearrange the work lecture at will, reaffirming a playful and flexible intention. A simple start - just placing a few pieces together (cardboard, paper, wood)- guides the rest of the process: composition, color, rhythm, depth. During the process, the work and the artist are involved in an intimate conversation: the work itself dictates what to do -- or what not to do. The work is in control above and beyond the artist’s own intentions and it is the work that gives birth to countless possibilities. This process, subject to factors intrinsic to both the artist and the work, grows and maintains an unforeseen intention that will guide the work’s development and will even condition future works, integrating painting and sculpture in a single proposition. However, all of these notions that shape Rolando’s world are sheltered by a religious-spiritual essence that is perpetually bound to the meanings inherent in the matter-tree: life, evolution, transcendence, knowledge, the world’s axis, earthliness, ascension. These interpretations, common to all cultures, are not foreign to his own. The verticality, for example, in his works offers a clear reference. But more than reflecting these principles, Rolando’s works offer a direct encounter with an unprejudiced message. |