The Freight + Volume gallery on the Lower East Side is
currently presenting a collection of work by Cristina de Miguel for the
exhibition Bad Habits. For her third
solo show at the gallery, de Miguel unveils several new paintings that have
fantastical, intriguing, and humorous qualities that illustrate people enjoying
casual leisure activities.
Many of de Miguel’s paintings reference many different eras
and some of the biggest names in art history. For instance, the painting Boy Leading a Horse depicts is directly
inspired by Picasso’s painting of the same name created between 1905-1906
during his Rose period. Like the original version, de Miguel depicts a naked
young man with his beloved horse by his side, though the young man is standing
to the left of the image rather than the right and his body is highlighted in
red, blue, green, and black and the horse is half grey and half brown with his
head turned away.
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| Luncheon on the Grass (2015, acrylic, oil, and spray paint on canvas) |
Another classic painting that de Miguel draws inspiration
from is Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass.
Like Manet’s version, de Miguel also depicts two modern-day men and a woman
relaxing on the grass enjoying some food. Unlike the original, all the subjects
are clothed and the painting has lots of abstract qualities including a jagged,
white face, like a ghost, in the upper right-hand corner lingering and staring
at the group of friends. The woman is eating a chicken leg and wearing shorts
and a T-shirt with a black triangular hat emitting a yellow stream. The man
across from her is wearing a checkered sweater and necklaces like a hippie
while smoking a cigarette.
Another painting titled One
Day at the Beach depicts a group of friends indulging in bad habits if you
will like sitting out in the sun for too long without sunscreen, while another painting titled An
Artist and His Model has a bright, yellow background with a man and a woman
sitting at their dining room table with the man facing the wall working on a
drawing with one bare foot and leg while the woman rests her head on her elbow
holding a can of beer with a cigarette in her mouth and also has one bare foot.
In addition, de Miguel includes several portraits in the show
where most of her subjects are whimsical and playful such as with Senor Banano which depicts a young man
dressed in a suit resembling a banana with a few brown spots against a green
background. A similar piece known as Banana
Hair illustrates the way a blonde-haired woman’s hair can look when set off
to the side and has a delighted expression on her face which is purple which
contrasts with the yellow-green shirt below.
Animals are also popular subjects
in this show with works like Chopped Head
featuring the head of a dog grinning and set on some grass and Cat Head
featuring the head of a wide-eyed cautious feline set on a human body. In Aladdin, de
Miguel pays homage to the classic Disney character dressed in his trademark red
cap and purple top but also wearing sunglasses with a small yellow bird
(perhaps de Miguel’s version of Iago) perched on his shoulder.
Cristina de Miguel was born in Seville, Spain and is known
for creating casual, funny, mischievous paintings. The images and motifs that
feature in her paintings often are borrowed from old masterpieces, social media
and absurd daily scenes. De Miguel holds an MFA from Pratt Institute and a
BFA from the University of Seville. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn.
At Freight + Volume, 97 Allen St., through Jul. 3. The
gallery is open Wed.-Sun. From 11 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appointment.
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