Young love is ephemeral, spellbinding, enchanting, and maddening, and that is what painter Fatima Ronquillo finds inspirational in her latest body of work, on view here.
Drawing upon the tradition of classical portraiture, idyllic Rococo-style settings, classicism, and mythology, there’s no shortage of stimulating content during Fatima Ronquillo’s upcoming solo exhibition, “Mad Enchantment,” at Meyer Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Opening on September 15 and continuing through September 29, “Mad Enchantment” is a “continuation of the flora and fauna and blind love themes that I’ve been working on the past couple of years,” the artist suggests. “But this time there is a bit more magic. There is a mad enchantment that possesses the heart and mind when confronted by the possibilities glimpsed through visions of beauty and love.”
The gallery adds, “The seducing beauty of springtime sets the scene for Ronquillo’s dramas, while her imagined characters’ blind desires and innocent infatuations weave stories of forsaken love in idyllic Rococo-style settings. The artist’s classical references extend to mythological subjects, such as Diana, Cupid, or Bacchus, adding to the magical realism of her work. Symbolism including animals, sheer blindfolds, and physical wounds of love contribute to each composition’s underlying narrative while retaining enough mystery to intrigue the viewer. Spring’s transient blooms fill Ronquillo’s paintings as symbols of natural beauty, the object of our fleeting desires.”
To learn more, visit Meyer Gallery.
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