the exponents of the
Archetypes 1981 1986 Hall

Jose Marin-Medina
Snatch of the preface to the catalog Archetypes 1980-1990
Madrid, September 1990.
The observer gets the impression of being transposed to an unexpected realm in the present climate to an outwardly dated encounter about the common understanding of the notion of post-modernity in the presence of these fabulous birds, holy wellsprings, ageless statues of humankind, worthy votive silhouettes, and oeuvres of ancient primal cultures which Andres Alcantara conveys.

…, the sculptures of Alcantara manifest the continued existence of artistic commitment, requirements of perfection in his procedures and ideas, real cultural mission, and the call of every author to be of significance for the world and set the style of coming times.

As I wandered through Andres’s studio, I became aware again of the enlightening words of Juan Godofredo Herder – a poet who got right the spirit of the existing difference between Sculpture and painting-: “Sculpture is genuine, painting is fantasy. The Sculpture is a comprehensive depiction; the painting is a delightful chronicle. How enormously different are they, and how far are both arts from being placed on the same footing! One single Sculpture can force me to kneel before it, to be his ally and companion; it is something real; it is here and now. On the contrary, the most exquisite painting is fantasy, a dream inside another dream”.

Sure enough, the outputs that synthesize this exhibition – in all cases unique artworks carved directly with the sculptor’s firm hand in the sultry blocks of marble and the crystal density of the limestones-are signified and animated with a sculptural spirit. These are actual carvings. They represent three-dimensional extents defined with unique, long-established carving approaches. The potential of evocation of his oeuvres’ soul empowers these artworks. Their energy’s strength is quite moving. They are related to outputs of former ages when artists created objects with supernatural purposes. Thus, they convey their feelings, recollections, and yearning for timeless wisdom and their desire to elude the sheer eventuality of the present and the determination of enduring like themselves, lucidly carved in the stone and the spirit.

(Adapted by JMS