Biography
The delightfully playful paintings of Argentinean artist Maria de los Angeles Espinosa come from a very specific location and tradition, yet there is a universal sense of wonder and possibility in each canvas. She has been heavily influenced by the Guaraní natives of Northern Argentina, whose culture is full of color and symbolism. This channeling of primitive imagery evokes many post-Impressionist painters, from Picasso and Rousseau to Kandinsky, and Espinosa’s work has an unyielding dynamism that is especially reminiscent of the latter.
Each acrylic painting is set in a kind of fairy tale environment populated with monumental plants and wondrous animals – some threatening, others benevolent – and cast against bright, one- or two-tone backdrops of red, blue or green. When human figures appear in her works they are often childlike, eliciting a sense of wonder and possibility, but also danger. Exploring her canvases, for those characters and for viewers, promises adventure, with small creatures tucked into pockets and corners, plant-like shapes coming to life, and always something new to discover.
