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Untitled (Head)
2007
11 3/4 x 12 in. (29.85 x 30.48 cm)
Salomón Huerta (La Colonia Libertad, Tijuana, Mexico, 1965 - ) Primary
Sleight of Hand: Painting and Illusion (2014-2015)
In the late 1990s, Salomón Huerta began to paint images of the back of people’s heads and bodies. The face, portraiture’s traditional source of identity clues, is hidden. Huerta initially painted three-quarter views but felt they showed too much, so he opted for a mysterious, indirect approach. Although establishing a connection to a subject that has literally turned his or her back may be difficult, active observation of available details—haircut, skin color, ear shape—enables viewers to invent an identity. Yet, any conclusions reflect viewers’ own prejudices and beliefs. Huerta asserts that his work is not explicitly political, yet explains that he seeks “to make work that makes the viewer question his own identity. That, in itself, is political.”
The House Imaginary, April 20, 2018 – August 19, 2018, Second Floor North, Second Floor Central Skylight, and Third Floor South Galleries, San José Museum of Art.
Sleight of Hand: Painting and Illusion, October 2, 2014 - February 22, 2015, New Wing, Second Floor, Central Skylight and South Metro A Galleries, San José Museum of Art.
So, Who Do You Think You Are?, September 25, 2011 - January 15, 2012, New Wing, Second Floor, Central Skylight Gallery, San José Museum of Art.
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| FILTER RESULTS | × Close |
by Artist (38)
_FV.jpg)
Untitled (Head)
Painting
200711 3/4 x 12 in. (29.85 x 30.48 cm)
Salomón Huerta (La Colonia Libertad, Tijuana, Mexico, 1965 - ) Primary
Object Type: Painting
Medium and Support: Oil on canvas mounted on panel
Credit Line: Gift of Yvonne and Mike Nevens
Accession Number: 2010.07
SJMA Label Text
Sleight of Hand: Painting and Illusion (2014-2015)
In the late 1990s, Salomón Huerta began to paint images of the back of people’s heads and bodies. The face, portraiture’s traditional source of identity clues, is hidden. Huerta initially painted three-quarter views but felt they showed too much, so he opted for a mysterious, indirect approach. Although establishing a connection to a subject that has literally turned his or her back may be difficult, active observation of available details—haircut, skin color, ear shape—enables viewers to invent an identity. Yet, any conclusions reflect viewers’ own prejudices and beliefs. Huerta asserts that his work is not explicitly political, yet explains that he seeks “to make work that makes the viewer question his own identity. That, in itself, is political.”
Exhibition
The House Imaginary, April 20, 2018 – August 19, 2018, Second Floor North, Second Floor Central Skylight, and Third Floor South Galleries, San José Museum of Art.
Sleight of Hand: Painting and Illusion, October 2, 2014 - February 22, 2015, New Wing, Second Floor, Central Skylight and South Metro A Galleries, San José Museum of Art.
So, Who Do You Think You Are?, September 25, 2011 - January 15, 2012, New Wing, Second Floor, Central Skylight Gallery, San José Museum of Art.
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