Night Magic (Blue Jester)

Carlos Almaraz, Night Magic (Blue Jester), 1988, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gloria Werner, 2011.12, © 1988, Carlos Almaraz Estate
Carlos Almaraz, Night Magic (Blue Jester), 1988, oil on canvas, 5454 in. (137.2137.2 cm) framed, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gloria Werner, 2011.12, © 1988, Carlos Almaraz Estate

Artwork Details

Title
Night Magic (Blue Jester)
Date
1988
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
5454 in. (137.2137.2 cm) framed
Copyright
© 1988, Carlos Almaraz Estate
Credit Line
Gift of Gloria Werner
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Cityscape — time — night
  • Figure — nude
Object Number
2011.12

Artwork Description

Almaraz was a pioneering Chicano artist who produced art for the United Farm Workers Union and cofounded Los Four, one of the earliest Chicano collectives. A later shift to expressionistic painting and graphics brought him national recognition. By the 1980s, his non-narrative images of Los Angeles addressed both his cultural affiliations and sense of isolation with living with AIDS. Night Magic (Blue Jester), inspired by velvet paintings sold on the U.S.-Mexico border, represents urban Los Angeles exploding with sensuous colors and populated by shadows suggestive of Almaraz’s lonely alter egos.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013

Description in Spanish

Almaraz, artista chicano pionero, produjo arte para la Unión de Campesinos y co-fundó a Los Four, uno de los primeros colectivos artísticos chicanos. Luego de adoptar un estilo expresionista en su obra pictórica y gráfica obtuvo reconocimiento a nivel nacional. Hacia los ochenta, sus imágenes no narrativas de Los Ángeles sugirieron tanto sus raíces culturales como el aislamiento que sentía al padecer del SIDA. Su obra Night Magic (Blue Jester), inspirada por pinturas sobre terciopelo vendidas en la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos, representa à la ciudad de Los Ángeles con una explosión de colores sensuales y poblado de sombras sugerentes de los alter egos solitarios de Almaraz.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013 
 

Works by this artist (2 items)

Shiang-shin Yeh, Bracelet ALS 16L #2 CL, 1996, anodized aluminum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Zack Peabody, 2000.62.17
Bracelet ALS 16L #2 CL
Date1996
anodized aluminum
Not on view
Shiang-shin Yeh, Brooch PLAT 5C #2 CL, 1997, anodized aluminum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Zack Peabody, 2000.62.16A-C
Brooch PLAT 5C #2 CL
Date1997
anodized aluminum
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013March 2, 2014
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.

More Artworks from the Collection

Unidentified, 48-State Quilt, 20th century, cotton, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.61
48-State Quilt
Artist
Unidentified
Date20th century
cotton
Not on view
Virginia R. Harris, Candy Box, 1994, machine pieced and quilted cotton and metallic thread, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in honor of Carolyn L. Mazloomi, Founder of the Women of Color Quilters' Network, 2002.16, © 1994, Virginia R. Harris
Candy Box
Date1994
machine pieced and quilted cotton and metallic thread
Not on view
Evelyn Derr or MBK, Sampler Block Quilt, 1905, cotton, cotton thread, and wool, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1989.30.4
Sampler Block Quilt
Artist
Date1905
cotton, cotton thread, and wool
Not on view
Joan Schulze, The Crossing, 1990, painted, pieced, appliqued and machine-quilted cotton with stitched calligraphy, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Penny Nii and Edward A. Feigenbaum, 1997.1
The Crossing
Date1990
painted, pieced, appliqued and machine-quilted cotton with stitched calligraphy
Not on view