Ciudad medieval [Medieval City]

Mario Rangel created small but extraordinary paintings that have yet to receive scholarly attention. He first encountered Surrealism in the mid-1950s in Mexico City. He explained: 

 

When I was still a student at La Esmeralda art school, I saw exhibitions of two painters who profoundly moved me, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo . . . not so much for their iconography and colors as for their imaginative approach. Seeing their paintings opened a wide window for me, through which I glimpsed what my future art would be. With their magic, they helped me bring forth in my work things that were already in me.

 

Rangel’s paintings have the diaphanous and intricate quality of medieval manuscript illustrations. This broad selection shows how he lends a magical, dreamlike sense to his representations, ranging from iridescent street festivals, mythical scenes, and religious ceremonies to characters that go about their life in worlds of fantasy and fable. As explorations of personal mythologies rooted in an unbridled imagination, these works contribute to the rich legacy of Surrealism in Mexico.