Oscar Magallanes

“If a picture tells a story, then Oscar Magallanes quietly speaks the voice of those who have lost theirs.  Oscar’s historic revolutionary figures are carefully rendered with Renaissance precision and strong confident lines.  His symbolic iconography educates his viewer of social injustices prevalent in modern society.  However, Oscar observes that these issues and struggles have perpetuated throughout history.  He is not afraid to illustrate challenging and often uncomfortable social subjects in order to engage the viewer on race, immigration, homelessness and revolutionary martyrs.

Oscar is a passionate artist who edifies and captivates culture on rough-hewn wood panels in a sophisticated and subdued palette.  He applies early 16th Century symbolism and geometry to his otherwise primitive mediums, creating a conversation of the juxtaposition of society’s issues and art itself.  He is the voice of the population not represented in the contemporary art world.  Oscar re-defines social distortion with balance and beauty rendered on his panels.”

Brandy Shea Sweeney
January 9, 2011