This set of five pieces by Francisco Donoso instantly attracted me. They looked like something out of a Pink Floyd album. I couldn’t but feel transported to some mystical and ethereal landscape. The colors were vibrant and I just couldn’t look away. I know originally I was supposed to spend about 8 seconds looking at the pieces but I know I spent far more. I did not try to analyze them instead I just admired the work. Layers upon layers made to create the illusion of a three dimensional image; so real that I felt that I could stick my hand in. The vibrant colors only added to the dreamscape that I saw. I just could not help but stand there in awe staring at the pieces.
I then decided to take a closer look at the artworks. I saw connections throughout all of them. For some pieces it was a giant web all meeting at one intersection and others there was a center focus and everything was leading to it. Focusing specifically on Landscape, also known as Aterrizaje, the layers give the illusion of depth. Each layer closing in slowly into a blank center. The center is pure white. In relation to the theme of the exhibit I see the layers as the diverse makeup of America with the blank in the center representing the “heart of America”: White America. I’m still not sure what to make of the three blobs I can only assume that they represent individuals looking at the makeup of America.
Another piece in the collection that I was enamored by was Celestial Hood. Again I see the large interconnected web present. However, in this piece something is missing though; there are large sections where no trails are present. The web is not complete. Perhaps this is the disconnect between society and the marginalized minority. The dark colors present in this piece play to a feeling of sorrow. But, the different shades of blue and the crimson red meld together perfectly there is no conflict with the colors and that is unity among the minorities. It seems that the only portions of the piece that are separated are the those chunks without any trails.
My favorite piece was Origin. In that piece I saw the symbolic stripes of the flag of the United States. Again the interconnected web is present. This time complete but, in the center again is a white blob. The surrounding segments of the web are different colors and some mixing together. The red stripes make it fairly obvious that the piece is critiquing American society. While everything is connected there are clear differences among the segments those segments then branch off into separate segments. American society is connected however not unified.
A common theme in Francisco Donoso’s is the lack of unity in America. America is a giant web but there are differences amongst the population and so much so that separations occur. I see racial and social separations in these works and after looking at them for such a long time the mystical feeling is gone and instead sorrow and anger appear. I still enjoy the work but after the long analysis I began to view the works in a different light.
