Spotlight Artist

Manuel Lopez-Aguilar

Pacific Coast

Interior with Diego Rivera Poster

Large leafy plant near a framed artwork and closed door in a light-colored room.

acrylic on canvas

South Central LA corner (El Mago on Fig and 97th)

Street corner with yellow fence, eagle mural, and signs under a clear blue sky.

acrylic on canvas

My father’s white shirts (line drying)

White shirts drying on a line in a backyard, pink sky, palm trees, white chair on red tiles.

acrylic on canvas

Featured in New American Paintings1 / 3

Artist Statement

 At the moment, my practice is one that originates from drawings done via observation; I adhere to the three most classical genres—still life, landscape, and portraiture—to then turn those drawings into paintings.

I tend to refer to old memories; my works depend on certain cultural objects or markers, places or spaces, and arbitrary images in my head to inform them. In relying on personal experiences to visually compose something, I aim to build into my paintings a connection to other people–some sort of universal, visual shared experience.

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