Rising figurative painters Caleb Hahne Quintana and RF Alvarez meet in candid conversation to discuss their latest shows; the artists have similar themematic influences from cowboys and americana to their shared mexican heritage, which all creates a rich background for their discussion.
Caleb Hahne Quintana's exhibition "A Boy That Don’t Bleed" is showing at Anat Ebgi Tribeca between September 5th and October 18th; RF Alvarez' "I Remember Everything", his first major solo show, is running at Megan Mulrooney Los Angeles between September 13th and November 1st.
RF Alvarez
I'm a huge fan, man. Thank you for taking the time to talk.
Caleb Hahne Quintana
Yeah, likewise.
RF
This new body work you put together is really something. What I love about your work is you've really sunk into this idea of myth-making and creating allegoric spaces. So much of my work has previously been real life moments. Painting is how I process the world, and I imagine you too. Trying to understand my place in all of this–in the Texas landscape and my heritage, and I’m just starting to get into the allegorical creation. I’ve really been impressed by how you're using imagery to tell a more emotional story, something happening beneath the surface.
Caleb
I appreciate you saying all that, and I want to reciprocate the sentiment of the way I've been looking at your work. One of the paintings I really love is Gimme Shelter. That painting was super fascinating. It’s really tipping into this mythic, almost compression of time.
RF
Yeah, yeah removed from reality. One of the things I thought was interesting, and I do want to talk about, is the description of a more somber tone to the work. I think your color palette has sort of retreated. And I feel the same way about this body work I just made too. There's a somberness to it.
Caleb
You know, the ‘somber’ adjective was kind of placed on these paintings. That was one that I hadn't thought of. Those paintings kind of stemmed out of an accident. Painting with color has always been like the highlight of my work, I guess? People have always kind of talked about it, which is funny, because I never used color early on in my career, mostly because I just didn’t know how.
RF
Me too! I had like two years of black and white. It took awhile to figure out, for sure.
Caleb
I mean it’s intimidating.
RF
Yes, absolutely. How much are you coming in with, when you put together a show like this, with intention of the narrative you want to tell, and how much of it is sort of born out of painting and experimenting?
RF Alvarez
I'm a huge fan, man. Thank you for taking the time to talk.
Caleb Hahne Quintana
Yeah, likewise.
RF
This new body work you put together is really something. What I love about your work is you've really sunk into this idea of myth-making and creating allegoric spaces. So much of my work has previously been real life moments. Painting is how I process the world, and I imagine you too. Trying to understand my place in all of this–in the Texas landscape and my heritage, and I’m just starting to get into the allegorical creation. I’ve really been impressed by how you're using imagery to tell a more emotional story, something happening beneath the surface.
Caleb
I appreciate you saying all that, and I want to reciprocate the sentiment of the way I've been looking at your work. One of the paintings I really love is Gimme Shelter. That painting was super fascinating. It’s really tipping into this mythic, almost compression of time.
RF
Yeah, yeah removed from reality. One of the things I thought was interesting, and I do want to talk about, is the description of a more somber tone to the work. I think your color palette has sort of retreated. And I feel the same way about this body work I just made too. There's a somberness to it.
Caleb
You know, the ‘somber’ adjective was kind of placed on these paintings. That was one that I hadn't thought of. Those paintings kind of stemmed out of an accident. Painting with color has always been like the highlight of my work, I guess? People have always kind of talked about it, which is funny, because I never used color early on in my career, mostly because I just didn’t know how.
RF
Me too! I had like two years of black and white. It took awhile to figure out, for sure.
Caleb
I mean it’s intimidating.
RF
Yes, absolutely. How much are you coming in with, when you put together a show like this, with intention of the narrative you want to tell, and how much of it is sort of born out of painting and experimenting?
RF
Great piece by the way. The sense of scale, man. Shit, that one knocked me to the ground.
Caleb
Thank you, I really appreciate that.
RF
I like this idea of the horse, sort of bearing witness. There's something about, you know, when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. I do love this idea of these ‘familiars’ who are there just to bear witness to your journey.
