Bergamot Station on Thursday Morning

I received a tip from a colleague about a Roberto Gil de Montes show at the Lora Schlesinger Gallery in the Bergamot Station family of galleries in Santa Monica and roamed on over.  I was delighted with his works.  He incorporates pre-columbian symbols from Mexico into his paintings.  The catalog states that these reference a rich cultural visual language creating hypnotic patterns and psychological portraits.  It goes on to say that colorful works infused with symbols and metaphors that reference time, memory, cultural identity, lifestyle and history.

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1950, he moved with his family to East Los Angeles as a small boy. Here he advance in school and graduated with his BA and MFA from the Otis Parsons Institute. Now, he lives near the Pacific Coast in Central Mexico near indigenous Meso Americans and
appreciates their culture and lore as seen in his paintings.

Here is a bit of what I saw:

"Wixaritari," 2014 oil on canvas

Top "Yo Cora," 2013 pastel on paper.  Bottom "Dream 2," 2013

Top "Island," 2013 pastel on paper, Bottom "Dia de la Virgen," 2013 

"

"Henry Moore," 2014 oil on linen.  The artist was highly influenced by the British sculptor, Henry Moore when he visited museums and sculpture gardens while he lived in Los Angeles.

"Turtle Release," 2014 oil on canvas

"Chac Mool," 2014 oil on canvas

"Victor's Dream," 2013 pastel on paper

"Coming Home," 2014 oil on linen

"The New Calendar," 2014 oil on Linen

Next, went into the Lois Lambert Gallery and observed the graphite drawings on Arches paper by Robert Taub entitled "The Earth Sings a Sad Song, Europe 1919-1945."  The artist describes: "This very personal project is an examination and exploration of cultural, national, political and Jewish identity.  And most of all, it is a yahrzeit candle for the millions gone." The scenes are taken from photographs.

"Burning of the Reichstag," (German Capitol Building).  The Reichstag was burned down by the Russian Army in 1945.

"Jewish Quarter, Amsterdam,"  "A mystical and beautiful place until..."  Robert Taub

"Warsaw Ghetto Prisoners,  This image depicts Jew captured during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which took place April 22 - May 18, 1943."

 ,

"Nazi Demonstration, 1933."  "During the 1930's leading up to Hitler coming to power, there were many violent clashes between the Communists and the Nazis in Germany.  This is a scene of a memorial service held for Nazis who died fighting in the streets of Berlin during one such protest."  The church in the background is The Berliner Dome, a Lutheran Church I attended while visiting in Berlin.  It is in the center of the city on Museum Isle across from the Opera House.

"Reverend Martin Niemoller, Anti-Nazi pastor, who at first supported Hitler, but he later changed his mind.  In 1943 he was sent to Dachau, but he survived the war and passed away in 1984 at the age of 92."
"First they came for the trade unionists, and I wasn't a trade unionist, so I said nothing.  Then they came for the communist, and I wasn't a communist, so I said nothing.  Then they came for the Jews and I wasn't a Jew, so I said nothing.  Then they came for me, and there was no one left to say anything."  Martin Niemoller

"Abba Kovner, Commander of the FPO, Vilnius 1943.  After his time as the Commander of the Jewish Partisans Organization, Kovner became a prominent Israeli poet and writer, and lived his life out on a Kibbutz in Israel."