Art: It’s Not All Academic
Artist/professor Giron solos outside classroom at Hot Shops

By: Michael Joe Krainak
Issue: June 24, 2009

Painter Mike Giron has one foot firmly planted in his studio and another in academia. Like a number of local full-time artist-professors, such as Littleton Alston, Tim Guthrie, Wanda Ewing, Gary Day, Russ Nordman, Les Bruning and Barbara Simcoe, among others, Giron, too, wants to show that his voice extends beyond the classroom.

Judging by his first solo show, “Rare Gems and Dynamite,” at the Hot Shops Art Center, which continues through this Saturday, June 27, he is gradually becoming a part of their ranks. Giron will follow up the show’s artist statement with an Art Talk this Saturday at noon. Whether this Bellevue University professor becomes as influential as the above and, several area part-time art instructors who exhibit on a regular basis, remains to be seen. Yet, with a few qualifications, Giron’s medium and large oil on masonite paintings are largely, fresh, inviting and experimental, if a bit inconsistent.

Individually, several works stand out for their interesting variation on classical and modern sources, not surprising given Giron’s considerable art history, background and dedication. But, “Rare Gems and Dynamite” is a large varied show that would benefit from a tighter, curatorial approach, a quality not foreign to the artist who has directed several successful shows at the University’s gallery. Instead, Giron has theoretically organized his many narrative and figurative pieces around several thematic and stylistic influences, and consequently, by his own admission, the exhibit is virtually a survey of a bit of art history and a summary of his own personal interests and stylistic variations.

“The subject matter ranges from lovers to the ravages of war, from impotence to creative power, from Jesus brandishing a stick of dynamite to the Virgin of Guadalupe,” Giron said. Stylistically, he described the exhibit “from a heroic, social-realism portrait of a ‘common’ Cuban man to a more expressive caricature of Cortes” and finally to more “increasingly abstract” work.

Not that demonstrating one’s virtuosity is a negative thing, but it is a bit much in one show for a viewer to absorb. A few Hot Shops shows recently have benefited from a strong curator because they were either variations on a theme or style and thus kept their focus. Having said this, there is much in this exhibit that effectively illustrates and interprets the two disparate sides of Giron’s vision: an appreciation of the Old Masters and a strong Spanish/Latino influence.

He acknowledges a range of influences in his work from 17th century alchemical engravings and Flemish/Spanish Baroque masters to Surrealism, expressive abstraction and Surrealism. The Flemish connection is quite evident as it features Giron’s rendition of a 17th century narrative by Jacob Jordaen, “Allegory of Fertility.” Is making a copy of a masterpiece merely an academic exercise or is it even Postmodern as in film director Gus Van Sant’s virtual frame-for-frame remake of Hitchcock’s “Psycho?” Giron calls it his “pear,” a direct reference to Goya, who said, “The true painter must be able to patiently copy a pear while surrounded by rape and upheaval.”

No matter who painted it, “Allegory of Fertility” still resonates today either as Giron’s statement on “the modern food crisis” or an overt comment on any civilizations in decay that celebrates fertility as a ritual of decadence surrounded by leers, indulgence and indolence. Conversely, Giron regards Salvador Dali as his “personal guru” and appears to subscribe to a particular form of Surrealism known as Magic Realism, a genre where magical or illogical elements are placed within a realistic narrative or normal setting.

“Magic Realism, yes,” he said. “That works for me, the idea that art is a shamanic tool, a divining method of realization or the canvas of the super-conscious. All of it fits within my belief of the practice of art. I often tell my students that it is magic.”

Giron also tells his students when stuck on a work, “Throw some pink into it, then you’ll have to make a decision,” or, “How about a fire truck?” a piece of advice he put into practice with another Neoclassical variation of his own in the show literally titled “Pink Idylls.” This highly effective painting with its pastel pink and green palette and crude, broad brush strokes, boasts a pale red fire truck in the right bottom corner that nicely balances the two classical figures at left. This modern touch also transforms this fantasy Garden of Eden-like narrative into a surreal dreamscape.

Giron’s interest in Spanish masters includes Goya and Velasquez because of “their willingness to present even hidden truths, to criticize hypocrisy and inhumanity.” Yet, his own spiritual and social conscience has evolved as well. “My parents are from Cuba,” he said. “My interests in Spanish and Latin American culture really hadn’t taken off until I began teaching a class on the Mexican muralists, Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros. Latin American history has begun to appear in my own work.”

He is of course referring to such pieces as “Guadalupana” and “Cortes” among others with their direct Mexican references. But the two best pieces in the show that reflect his Latino connection are more a matter of style and POV than just subject matter. His two mural-size portraits, “Vicente Uribazo” and “La India” have a colorful, expressive grandeur missing in lesser works and may be the two single pieces that could most develop into an original, signature Giron style, something to build a future solo show around. “Uribazo” is a powerful tribute to his hard-working uncle and “La India” is a similar homage to an indigenous people. Though the latter is more of a generic mask, the two portraits share similar characteristics.

While “Uribazo” is more of painterly sketch of a distinct personality, “La India” is crafted in a broad geometric pattern highlighting certain native facial qualities. Both however boast the use of a bright neon yellow-green that portrays an in-your-face presence to the viewer. This is fitting as the visage of each reveals an inner and outer mask of pride, strength and resolve, which is both a matter of character and race, and Giron nails both. Free of any academic exercise, work in this direction, whether narrative, figurative or abstract, deserves further exploration.

Additional highlights in the exhibit include the following. The subtle and abstract “Red Chuck” depicts a smoky and hazy mask on a crimson background that only hints at its mystery and depth. It is a nice departure from some of the more heavy-handed imagery in the show. Giron also features two nicely done variations on the Pygmalion story, noteworthy for their bold color scheme and formal settings and compositions, each a revisionist take on the creation-of-sorts myth. This is especially true of the nightmarish, red Pygmalion canvas which depicts its main characters as ghostly or hollow on an “is it heaven or is hell” background. Perhaps these works are Giron’s warning or at least comment about falling in love with one’s creation.

Other works here are also personal, but maybe none more so than a particular favorite, aptly named “Potenza” (strength, potency), an ironic combination of classical and native form and style. Imagine this muscular, reddish-orange heroic figure with raised clenched fist and dark wavy hair as the artist himself striding forth precariously perched on two miniature wild horses ready to face all his demons. The fact that the Parthenon, another of his classical references, is clearly in the background and small upon the hill, may mean that Giron is ready to move on also … and put the past behind him.