May 21,2004
By - Holly Myers
A Personal Iconography

The centerpiece of Daniel Martin Diaz's exhibition at La Luz de Jesus Gallery is what one might call a contemporary book of hours: 31 drawings made in 31 days, each contemplating elements of Christian doctrine. It's not the sort of project one often finds in a contemporary art gallery, but it feels surprisingly at home.


The works are steeped in traditional Roman Catholic iconography culled from Diaz's Mexican American upbringing as well as medieval and Renaissance art. But the artist's spin on this iconography, however shaped by his own faith, is also informed by the likes of Mark Ryden, the Clayton Brothers and other Lowbrow artists. It is broodingly personal and lends the work a compelling, esoteric edge.

In one drawing, called "Life," we find a crowned Virgin Mary connected through an umbilical cord that stems from a cross around her neck to a free-floating, half-reptilian fetus (characterized elsewhere as Jesus). "Crown of Thorns" portrays an emaciated torso that gives way to tree roots below the waist, two severed arms, extended as if on a cross, and a single thorn-encircled eye where the head would be.
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Divinatio
Graphite on Paper
Trees, skulls, scorpions, flaming hearts and astrological symbols are other frequently repeating motifs, and Latin inscriptions (prayers and Scripture mostly) abound. Also in the show are nearly a dozen paintings, many of them based on drawings. Composed primarily in tones of rust and ochre and encased in beautifully crafted dark wood frames (also made by the artist), these works have a heavier presence but a similarly beguiling effect.

Diaz — who is self-taught, his formal training being in classical music composition — brings a steady, exacting technique to both media. That quality underscores one's sense of the work as anenterprise of devotion. La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz, (323) 666-7667, through May 30.


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