![](https://lokkal.com/sma/magazine/2024/june/ph/florent.jpg)
Canto Florent 5, acrylic on canvas, 183 X 121 cm, 2023
Español
June 9, 2024
by Pascual Hijuelos
I have always been intrigued by the past. There was a period in my life, when every summer I worked as a site supervisor and illustrator on archeological digs. But my real passion was the digging. The process of slowly and carefully removing layers of dirt in hopes of finding something of significance which contributes to the intent of the excavation has always tantalized me. It is as good as mystery-solving gets. As a painter I have always used multiple layers either by overlapping shapes or by making them transparent in hopes of creating for the viewer that unique feeling of discovery as they unveil each level.
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José Pascual Hijuelos, a Cuban-American, was born and raised on the Upper West Side of New York City. After serving four years of military service in England, he returned home and went on to complete an MFA in Painting. He studied with Philip Pearlstein, Lucas Samaras, Jimmy Ernst, Lee Bontecou and Alan D’Arcangelo, and was the assistant to Al Held for several years.
An abstract painter, Mr. Hijuelos was nurtured on Postwar American Abstract Painting, influenced by such notables as Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Ben Nicholson and Al Held.
Mr. Hijuelos has traveled extensively. For many years, he worked as an archaeological site supervisor and illustrator in Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus. He now divides his time between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and New York.
Website
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On exhibit through July:
Intersección Gallery, Fabrica Aurora
www.interseccionart.com, 415-120-0944
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