Exhibition Information
Artist: Elmer Guevara and Robert Nehemiah
Exhibition: Immaterial
Media: Paint, wood, canvas
Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Gatov Gallery West
Website: None
Instagram: Elmer Guevara: @3lmski1, Robert Nehemiah: @wookieewarrior
About the Artist
Robert Nehemiah is graduating this year at CSULB as a painting/art major. At a young age, Robert has been surrounded by art and is strongly influenced by his grandfather, grandmother, and mother. At first he wanted to become a firefighter but pursed art instead.
Elmer Guevara is also graduating this year as a painting/drawing major at CSULB. He actually attended UCLA but transferred to CSULB. He currently lives in LA. Elmer’s influence was from is older cousins and older friends. When he was younger, they would do graffiti which is where he first started with art.
Formal Analysis
The paints all have a very similar color scheme. The portraits were colourful, but unlike Mimi, the colours were more muted. All the pieces were beautiful because they had so much detail and interesting backgrounds. Some of the paintings were protruding which gave it the 3D effect. The portraits with similar backgrounds had a more dramatic effect. It gave the impression that lights at certain angles were projected towards them which really intensifies the painting. Since the background is so simply, observers can really notice the intricate details of the faces.
Content Analysis
When creating his artwork, Robert likes to first find materials, and then tries to find a model who can connect or form a bond with the materials. He, however, does not try to force the two to bond. Robert uses different materials for his art, and uniquely he uses wood as the surface because it absorbs all the paint.
Elmer takes inspiration from the city. He likes to take few photos and puts them together of a person he has interviewed. Compared to Robert’s, Elmer’s art is more abstract. Each of his portraits represent a person from the city he has interviewed in the city, especially South LA.
Synthesis/My Experience
I really loved the portraits. The paintings are very trendy and urban which seems to attract a lot of younger audience like high school and college students. The color scheme is dark and muted, and it really adds to the aesthetic. Also when you walk into the gallery, the painting are pretty large which really captured my attention. I would bring my friends to this gallery because they were very cool portraits.
Grace 