Eddie Martinez

Peres Projects, Berlin
Acquired from the above by the present owner

London, Saatchi Gallery, Body Language, November 2013 - March 2014, pp. 66-67, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are some drying cracks to the thinner areas of black paint. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultraviolet light.
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Through his command and application of colour, as well as his impeccable use of diverse techniques ranging from collage to spray paint, Martinez has steadily built an irrefutable international recognition. His interviews reflect a candid, but introspective character who understands and shows tremendous appreciation for artists who came before him. Largely influenced by some of the giants of art history, such as Pablo Picasso, Phillip Guston, Robert Motherwell and Robert Rauschenberg, these varied influences can be seen in Untitled, where stylistic quotes have been taken from the work of Picasso’s starkly delineated Civil War canvases, or Guston’s drippy compositions. indeed, Martinez’s colour palette, the scale he chooses to work in and his prominent use of collage reflect an analysis of his predecessors' work. Moreover, Martinez is greatly inspired by popular culture and uses it to create a sense of narrative, developing an oeuvre his audience can immediately relate to. His use of figures, inspired by graffiti and cartoons, is unequivocally reminiscent of paintings by Basquiat and a direct reference to popular culture experienced on the streets of New York. In Untitled, the artist manages to successfully combine these influences to create a dynamic composition, an arresting canvas in a grand scale.