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 (55 items)

Ellsworth Kelly, Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.30
Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red Blue, 1964, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.28
Red Blue
Date1964
screenprint
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red over Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.29
Red over Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
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.

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Bohyun Yoon, Glass Tube, 2012, glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Giselle and Ben Huberman, 2012.57A-L, © 2012, Bohyun Yoon
Glass Tube
Date2012
glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes
Not on view
Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
Salish Clam Basket
Date2008
glass
On view
Killer Whale Hat
Date2002
blown and sand carved glass
Not on view
Ché Rhodes, Untitled, 2007, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath, 2021.57A-D
Untitled
Date2007
glass
On view