René Cheng — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

May 2

May 2 René Cheng

Biography

René Cheng is a Mexican bicultural artist with German and Chinese ancestry living in Mexico and Europe.
Themes in his artwork: time, beauty and nature. His artistic skills and creativity range many artistic movements from abstracts to hyperrealism using foremost oil paint. His keen eye and skilled hands depict color and light harmoniously on the canvas. This master painter is an awarded artist and has participated in different solo and collective exhibitions in México, Italy and the USA (Art Expo NY, Spectrum Miami). All his work is copyright protected by the INDAUTOR and all artwork has its COA. He is a member of the following societies: Badischer Kunstverein in Germany, ARTAC in Mexico, as well as the AIAP, ONG associated to the UNESCO and the IAA. Artistic influences: from life and nature itself, to established artists: Da Vinci, Klimt, van Vermeer, Renoir, Rembrandt, Dalí, Kandinsky, Richter, Millani, Manjarréz,Volegov and IBEX masters (Arizabalo and especially José-Luis Corella) .

Artist Statement

Art is subjective, but also the necessary expression of the artist to evoke an emotion through his work. Oil painting offers a range of extraordinary possibilities of composition, colors and artistic movements (from abstracts to hyperrealism), since creativity itself is abundant. The main themes of my works are: time, life & beauty. Creativity is boundless and I feel free and comfortable painting abstracts, as well as portraits, figurative and even hyperrealism. All have to have harmony, balance, express or evoke something, as well as being beautiful and captivate the observer. Painting is my passion and it shows by the quality of the materials, handcraft, dedication and love I pour in each and every masterpiece. While painting I am deeply connected with the Universe and myself, it is like meditating. Each and every one of my artworks, has my energy, part of my soul. All of them are unique, original and hand crafted. They also have a certificate of authenticity and are registered and protected by the INDAUTOR. It is my greatest privilege when someone else appreciate this and acquires one of my artworks, or they get recognized through art competitions or exhibitions.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

This question leads to the question if you are born an artist or you become one. I think it is a combination of both. I do believe that all humans have the capacity to be their best version, that is, we are all creative. I guess that most kids have drawn or painted something. Nevertheless, through time, education, becoming an adult, surroundings, conditions or lack of interest, some leave it by that. For others it becomes their passion and that is my case. Obviously you have to train certain skills and educate your eye and hand to draw well and afterwards paint right. Obviously this also has to do with a high sense for esthetics and trying to create an artwork of the highest quality in materials and expertise. Through my paintings I portray “the beauty of life”. You can see it by my bold color choices, which nevertheless are still elegant and the precise brushstrokes. It is my creative outlet that is demanding to create and communicate, it is my passion. My contribution to make this world beautiful.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

This might be the ultimate question. Since I see this as a journey that is evolving constantly, I can not and do not want to cage myself in a specific description. I enjoy painting abstracts up to realism or even hyperrealism. Many might think this is commercially wrong, since I have no “artistic signature” and this might be right, but with time this question will be answered by the process itself. Gerhard Richter started out as a realist and ended up as an abstract painter, this might happen to me too. I have the blessing to enjoy and understand both currents, perhaps I will end up combining realism with impressions… However it goes, I am always trying to make a better artwork, than the one before - constantly evolving. I can say that the only constant will be oil painting and the highest quality of materials and skills.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

If I had narrow it down to three words: life, time, beauty. I truly believe that what you manifest will be come back to you. That is why I do not like to portray sad or tragic themes. There are exception like with my artwork “Why?”, that depicts a child crying in the dust and dirt, showing the abandonment, drought, war, indifference, inhuman conditions. Normally I think: Would I hang that on my wall? I want people to be happy and cheerful when they see my artwork hanging in their homes. It should be uplifting, the present world is not. I might portray a face, but not only that, but an expression and even farther an emotion; or by painting a fish, tiger, flower, trying to remind us of their beauty, but also fragility. With my abstracts it is mostly cheerful and bold, but with harmony and esthetics.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

Normally I use a memory bank, that might be photographic references. They might remind me of the colors, the composition, the expression, etc. I want to create. I am in the process of producing my own photographs. But the memory bank might be also within my own memory, trying to recreate that emotion on the canvas. It is similar, but yet different from artwork to artwork. Composition, what is important to me and what is less important. Harmony and esthetics are also important to me. What do I want to communicate or captivate the observers attention with? How will I technically solve that a specific “problem” to achieve the best result? All that has to be solved, before touching my brushes, at least at 80%, the rest will be answered while painting it.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

My favorite part of the creative process is painting the artwork actually. You have to solve many technical things and each time this might be different, depending on what I want to achieve. This is something that takes me several months, therefore you should be passionate about the painting. It is like a relationship that requires communication and patience. The painting itself tells me what is still missing until I get to the point, where I can see that it is finished. This is important to recognize, when you have done your very best and do not overwork the painting.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

I am constantly evolving and as I said, trying to better myself with each artwork. While I my be an emerging artist, I think that my paintings are still very affordable, nevertheless this might change with time and therefore a good investment for collectors. I love to participate with galleries, exhibitions, biennales, etc. So there will be plenty of me and my artwork to see. In a more personal level I want to create my own photographic references for my realistic paintings and explore also more my abstracts. So most probably I will define better my “artistic signature”. I will be participating at the Art Expo NY in November 2021, as well as many other art competitions, like “Modportrait” and “Figurativas”, that work in conjunction with the MEAM. You are gladly welcome to follow my journey through social media and visit my website, then you will see my latest creations and future projects and achievements.

Website www.renearte.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reneartemex/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/renepintura