For an artist, the miracle of emotion and human connection is a mesmerizing and enthralling tool in seizing expression. Hyper-realist artist Juan Carlos Manjarrez harnesses the all-consuming power of our most vital and yet most unheeded treasure; our humanity. Immaculately capturing performance from this, our everyday natural companion of flesh and form, the figures he paints almost whisper to us from the canvas. His magnificent techniques draw verve into his works, and life pumps through every vein of his creations. They dance to the rhythm of their own heartbeat, and though the images are still, they could not be more alive.
"Every artist dips his brush into his own soul and paints the very nature of himself
into his work. This is my language, and my painting style."
Manjarrez relates his talents and incredible skill to what he calls his obsession to dominate the hyper-realistic technique. Daily practice and dedication has allowed this autodidact artist to hone impeccable mastery over the art form. With an ever-present
fascination with life force, people, and the sensual magnetism of emotion, he unlocks a vast narrative in the mystery and pure beauty of the human body. Reproducing a single moment, a snapshot of time more faithfully and objectively than a photograph, he attains so much in a single piece that it is hard to pull your gaze away. Flawless details perfectly presented on grand scales, they project the immense potential the body possesses for emotion and feeling. "Works of art are mirrors," he explains. "You see in them what you already have within you." Every piece gives a completely unhindered sentiment and reaction, flowing with passions and expressions that awaken us at the heart and hold our attention and our soul like a bird in their hands.
The kinetic moments seized by the artist in his miniscule detail and painstaking patience reflect his desires to capture life itself, and preserve those glimmers of magical articulation formed by the body. The immense message and expression he can present from the smallest lines and gestures are only the starting point of a long journey of discovery within every piece. From one instant of movement, laughter, or pose that has long since past, the essence of the moment lingers in his portrayal, and floods the viewer with a hundred emotive desires.
"I try to leave a legacy. A work that describes the aesthetic beauty of this historical moment
that I am living now."
Growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, Manjarrez spent his childhood in a traditionalist family, where the concept of art did not exist. "Painting wasn't accepted as a way of living," he says. But still, my rebellious soul led me to develop my passion." Abandoning his studies as an architect to pursue what he recognized as his true calling, Manjarrez has followed a dedicated path of hard work and perseverance; "Constant practice has given my work whole new possibilities."
Crafting much of his best work in the intimacy of solitude, Manjarrez works every day to further perfect his craft. His dedication remains resolute, even as the themes of his work constantly change as his life experiences and history carve out inspirations.
Wherever the brushstrokes take him, he keeps close the memory of that first brave leap into becoming an artist.
"Painting is what gives meaning to my life. I think my work is this slow walk to rediscover, through the detours of art, those first big and simple images in whose presence my heart first opened."
Since the recent passing of his father, Manjarrez has embraced his legacy, and pushed himself and his work further. It was from his father that he received his most important lesson about capturing these glimpses, these moments in life. "He makes me remember and understand that there is nothing more important than life .. .life is going very fast and there is nothing more absurd than to let life pass without living it."
From this lesson, Manjarrez can always glean excitement for the future of his work. "It's what gives me more energy to keep going, to keep painting." Proudly joining him on his amazing voyage, Kreative Finds knows that our future with such an astounding talent will be a thrilling one. "The future is always there," he says. "Stealthy, waiting for us, leading us to our destiny. Maybe what I want is to change
the world, or my world, one painting at a time ... "
From this lesson, Manjarrez can always glean excitement for the future of his work. "It's what gives me more energy to keep going, to keep painting." Proudly joining him on his amazing voyage, Kreative Finds knows that our future with such an astounding talent will be a thrilling one. "The future is always there," he says. "Stealthy, waiting for us, leading us to our destiny. Maybe what I want is to change
the world, or my world, one painting at a time ... "
