“Writing about art …”
Writing about art is like talking about music…it is usually
done after the fact itself. But it has been said that anything
one understands can be put into words…
If the traditional vectors of form and content are invoked
in considering the works of Mari Carmen Hernandez it
becomes soon apparent that she dwells within these
parameters in harmony. The silent inner language of her art
is spoken through nuance and feeling that would otherwise
remain undefined. Mari Carmen Hernandez spans this bridge
between the eyes and the spirit through her use of color,
texture, calligraphic gesture and scale. The total meaning
of the work continues to change and increase as the viewer
brings to them different perceptual qualities and demands.
Thus the burden of creation is shared between the artist
and the perceiver of the art. Always remaining singular
and unique to themselves, these works animate and excite
the eyes in a way seen only in autonomous works…
Perhaps one can better define this quality as being
“authoritative”. This authority in her works tells us that
they exist within their own set of rules and conditions.
Her art then, is beholden only to itself and at this point
the artist becomes subservient to the work produce.
However, this idea is neither true nor false in the concrete
world of pragmatic reality.
This idea is a privilege just as art is a privilege.
Her work is strong and true. One can only thank the Gods for
this bit of heaven on earth.
Ralph Gibson • New York • 1988