The work featured in the retrospective exhibition, "Figurative Impressions by Eugene Quesada. 50 Years: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings - a tribute to the Mexican American Artist”, reflect a body of work that has long held an important place in the world of Latino art.Quesada deals in the barest essentials in defining his subjects. Texture and color used to define form rather than specific objects make his paintings appear larger than they are. His drawings suggest brief, but very effective visual statements. A few strokes of ink wash are enough to suggest the massive bulk and potential aggressiveness of a challenging bull.
The exhibit comprised of drawings, paintings, sketches and prints is the largest collection of Quesada’s work ever displayed. Artworks are on paper and canvas with a number of mixed media pieces. His artwork last exhibited in San Diego at the San Diego Museum of art 20 years ago as part of a major exhibition recognized as the first critical presentation of 20th century Latin American artists as a group.
Quesada, now 83 years old, is a native of Wickenburg, Arizona, began sketching as a youth. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in 1952 and has studied in California, New York and with the Mexican muralist Jean Charlot. During his youth he was influenced by such masters as Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Riviera. After graduation, he lived and studied in Mexico.
His paintings earned him acclaim in Guadalajara, where he lived through the 1960’s.His long residence in Mexico has flavored the stuttering lines, torsos, and oblique forms that are the core of Quesada’s body of work. His drawings of children are similar in form and subject to paintings and drawings of Mexican artists such as Raul Anguiano. Quesada’s portraits and landscapes whether casein, gouache, oil or drawings, evoke sensation or emotion.
