{"product_id":"hombre-con-coral-by-maribel-portela-mexico","title":"Hombre con Coral by Maribel Portela, Mexico","description":"\u003cp\u003eHombre con Coral (Man with Coral)\u003cbr\u003eby Maribel Portela\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eMexico City, Mexico\u003cbr\u003eceramic with porcelain slip, metal stand\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e14” high x 6.5” wide x 6.5\" deep\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eMaribel Portela was born in 1960 in Mexico D.F.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eShe obtained her degree in fine art at the prestigious Escuela National de Artes Plasticas at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003ePortela’s clay sculpture, while unmistakably within the genre of contemporary fine art, maintains its roots in the pre-Columbian figurative works of Mexico.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThe rich flavors of these magical figures form a substantial presence in Portela’s ceramic works.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ePortela brings a primal, subtle and sophisticated body of clay objects inspired by the richly colored and highly adaptable flora of Mexico. Portela’s sculptures, in various media, combine elements of traditional, religious, and pre-Hispanic symbols taken from sacred cultures, to create art that is relevant in our modern world. \u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eAs an artist, Portela has stayed clear of political agendas, social pronouncements, and religious or anti-religious statements which have characterized much of Mexico’s contemporary art.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eInstead, she remains nonpartisan, content to express and give form to the mystical energy which she perceives around her.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003ePortela is dedicated to art’s capacity as an expressive vehicle, yet one that is unburdened by dogma or rhetoric.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eFree of ulterior agendas, Portela’s work becomes a uniquely pure expression of the joy and wonder which are such integral parts of her personality.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“I had a friend who used to say that our body’s wrinkles, creases, shape, color, etc. spoke. I fell in love with those words, which for me contain a lot of truth, although maybe I don’t have what it takes to understand the body’s language. For instance, the sculptures I do of tattooed men tel a story. We are all tattooed on the inside, we have wonderful and terrible tattoos. Imagine that your life story began on your forehead and ended on your big toe. You would not be able to deceive me, nor could I fool you.” - Maribel Portela, excerpt from the exhibition catalogue Earthly Bodies, 2003\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Quintana Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53047678894191,"sku":null,"price":750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1813\/7073\/files\/CJQ250043_WhiteBrownSeatedFigure2.jpg?v=1777951726","url":"https:\/\/quintanagalleries.com\/products\/hombre-con-coral-by-maribel-portela-mexico","provider":"Quintana Galleries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}