A place in the world: Enrique Zaldivar exhibits his paintings at the West Orange Arts Council

A place in the world

The landscape, has been one of my most recurrent themes in recent years. It has not been voluntary; at least not consciously. I know that at this point in the art history, it is nothing new, although today almost nothing is new. Even the most transgressive stages of art have seen their decline to remain in the immense sea of ​​the past. 

Does it make sense to continue revisiting familiar topics such as the landscape? 

I say yes.

Since the beginning of art, man has represented nature again and again. Centuries, millennia have passed and it is still important for artists. Nature (also understand everything that surrounds us) is the basis of all learning, and its observation, is the main source of inspiration for creators.

The landscape, represents a metaphor of life itself. Everything is in constant movement. In a symbolic sense, we are like a landscape; a common and simple scene that in turn holds great significance. Every time I paint a landscape, I feel that I delve into the idea of ​​finding purpose in the cyclic, repetitive, routine and banal.

Many people ask me: Why the human figure is not too present in your works? To answer that I will only say, that in a philosophical sense, a tree and a human being are not so different for me. Although I do not focus on the human figure visually, I do feel that it is present in a conceptual way as part of nature.

I understand the reasons that have led us to think that the human being is the center of the universe, but for me, we (humans) are just another element in everything that exists. We are a bit of the infinite gear of the universe.

Basically, this is what motivates me to work the landscape. It is an exercise in searching for the meaning of things and the place I occupy in the world; Sometimes I find answers, sometimes not.