Mind of the artist

UCLA graduates’ artwork celebrate ancient Mayan, pre-Columbian
cultures

By Melissa Attman

Summer Bruin Contributor

What is in the mind of an artist?

Why are abstract shapes and forms that resemble a
kindergartner’s finger paintings considered art?

The answers to these questions become clear after speaking with
John de Heras and James Urmston, artists and UCLA graduates whose
artwork appears now through Aug. 3 at the FIG Gallery in Santa
Monica.

What makes their artwork so enthralling are their common bonds
and similar foundations, yet drastically different outlooks. They
both studied the Mayan and pre-Columbian cultures of ancient Mexico
and Central America, and both have lectured extensively on the
iconography and motifs of ancient Mexican art.

Despite these similar foundations, de Heras chose to paint in
black and white, showcasing abstract and distorted shapes, while
Urmston executed vibrantly colored nude bodies and vegetables on
his canvasses.

It is these differences that turn the viewer into a detective
seeking symbolic meanings of the artists’ works and insights into
their minds.

The artists’ influences could be a clue.

"I was influenced by the European Spanish, meaning Spain and the
New World Spanish, which is Mexico," says de Heras.

My wife and I are both fascinated with antiquity … We are
interested in the cultures and the particular art they make.

"In the Yucatan Peninsula, Mayan pre-Columbian Hispanic
influence is very strong. We (he and his wife) visited those ruins,
Chichen itza, Uxmal … They had knowledge of the universe and
stars, and you realized they had many of the discoveries of the
Europeans.

"But when you look closer, they were capable of evil deeds …
they made human sacrifices to make sure the universe would continue
… prisoners would be sacrificed and tortured. What inspires me is
that."

He was also intrigued by the hieroglyphics that were the
language of the Mayan culture.

"They inspire me at this moment as beginnings … as points to
make marks and to make shapes ­ (I am) trying to achieve the
texture of the place, the antiquity and mystery of the place."

When first glancing at one of de Heras’ paintings, none of these
inspirations are recognizable. "UXMAL" is quite abstract and
difficult to make out. It screams with an explosion of squiggly
swirls, mixed with a pyramid and what seems a finger-painted
butterfly.

But, after a closer look and the artist’s input, this black and
white configuration becomes an insightful documentation of
culture.

The swirl is a snake.

"It is an omni-present serpent which is a symbol of life and
rejuvenation in Mayan iconography … it is a rejuvenation of life,
not of evil like in Christianity," de Heras says.

The butterfly image is actually a set of two half-moon
glyphs.

But why does he choose to paint in the abstract, making it
difficult for viewers to decipher?

"I try and keep it abstract because I want to maintain a
relationship between the (viewer and the) art, just as an art
piece, but suggest through these symbols that there is something
outside."

He feels that when you see a realistic piece of work, such as a
human or still life, you take in only that and ignore the other
designs and meanings in the painting. With abstract art you are
forced to examine it from various angles to decipher it.

"The pyramid could as easily resemble Los Angeles City Hall as a
Mayan Temple," Peter Kosenko, the gallery manager, says.

Even the fact that this collection was created solely in black
and white has a significance.

"I chose black and white because I just wanted to maintain a
consistency without the issue of color," de Heras says.

He wanted viewers to focus on the themes and images of what he
expresses rather than on the superfluous colors.

But most people visiting the gallery are not educated in Mexican
art and won’t have the knowledge to breakdown the paintings and
decipher the symbols. However, that doesn’t damage the viewer’s
experience with the piece of art, according to de Heras.

"It is most important to enjoy the experience of the mark, the
paintbrush. We are fascinated with shapes anyway … look at the
shapes, just examine how it was done and why the artist did
it."

This is equally true for the colorful work of James Urmston,
whose "Il Millenia #7" grasps your attention with its yellow and
orange pigments, illuminating the adjoining room: a nude man kneels
on a yellow plank lined with Mangos, and a woman places a blue
platter on his back. On it sits a grimacing cabbage adorned with
green cactus leaves and chili peppers for ears. Behind them, a
pyramid sits against a Mayan-blue sky.

It reflects a different perspective on the concept of uniting
pre-Columbian culture with modern times.

Here, Urmston deliberately paints in colors reminiscent of the
colors used in Mexico.

"It has to do with the western hemisphere and the relationship
that (it has with) Latin America. A lot of the pyramids were
painted these colors … a Maya blue, a lot of buildings were
painted red, and a lot of the pre-context structures were built
using bright colors … There is just a love of color which comes
on in a really bright, intense way."

Similar to de Heras, Urmston wants to unite the new with the
old; but while de Heras sketches ancient ruins with a cubist style,
Urmston integrates pre-contact imagery with modern-day
influences.

"Take the Adam-Eve context, the male and female," Urmston
offers.

"I didn’t want to burden it with only a Christian concept. Adam
and Eve are generically tied to foundation beliefs ­ the first
man, the first woman and also the idea of the forbidden gift or the
food gift … like the apple." The platter represented in "UXMAL"
is a modern, more comprehensive symbol.

"When you look at French food, the presentation is assembled or
garnished in an elaborate way which has been evolving for 500 years
… In the Christian context Eve hands Adam the apple … In 1996
it is much more elaborate." By blending ancient and modern
symbolism and styles, Urmston and de Heras keep the art and history
of the past alive in the present.

For information on the FIG gallery, call (310) 829-8345. It is
located at 2022A Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404. Open Wednesday
through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Artist John de Heras

A detail of "Il Millennia #7," oil on canvas, one of James
Urmston’s pieces currently on display at the FIG Gallery.