The Artist: Hugo Rodriguez
WNED and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra are thrilled to announce our first ever official artist for the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition - the talented and exciting artist Hugo Rodriguez (www.hugomundo.com).
The dynamic piece chosen as the official artwork of the Competition is part of a series titled Mundo Gytara©. In 1995 the concept of Mundo Gytara© was created with several guitar sketches that inspired the series of stylized guitar paintings.
About the Artist:
Hugo is originally from Mexico and is now located in Buffalo, NY. He categorizes his art as Abstract-Expressionist and he used pastels, oil-pastels, acrylics, watercolor and oils to create his beautiful collection of work.
The artist’s early love of the classical guitar and especially flamenco music awaken an undeniable artistic passion that he felt had to be addressed in a complementary visual format.
Hugo began to see the guitar as a physical construction that provides the artistic spark for imagining other forms. For him, the guitar symbolizes an architectural starting point for advanced imagery, limited only by the vision of the artist.
What started out as a sketch in 1995 gradually turned into a movement of rhythm in color and form that originated from these basic feelings. In a 12-year span, the guitar paintings have evolved to become more dramatic and current, while other paintings are reflections of the artist’s personal views and struggles in life.
Mundo Gytara© World Guitars is an ongoing series of complex paintings that define a range of emotions that materialize to the surface . The artist blends rich pastels and other mixed-media to create abstract impressions which celebrate tangible expressions of art on a variety of surfaces from paper to wood and canvas.
Since 2001, Hugo has expanded his creative output to works that tell a story or represent historical events. Some newer works embody cultural representations or religious symbolism. These are intended to offer social commentary without expressing any obvious political statements.
Newspaper headlines provide the matrix for innovative custom matting and are constructed to rivet the viewer’s attention to the work at hand. These describe a full spectrum of events and represent the dramatic time and place in which the artwork was created. They also serve to extend the works beyond traditional borders while maintaining the guitar as the main focal point.