Hernan Bas: A Dandy in Miami
The paintings of Miami-based artist Hernan Bas have been characterized as a celebration of another time, where Dandyism and Decadence come together in a contemporary mindscape. Yet there is something about the paintings that speaks to a Miami that is very modern, or perhaps post-modern is a better term for them. Mixing forms is the main attribute of the cutting-edge art since 1970, and he is certainly working along these lines. But there is also another thrust to the work that situates it very elegantly and formally, in a time that is of his own construction.
The figures that haunt most of his paintings are young men who have a certain knack for posing for an imaginary camera , giving the scenes a definite sense of performance of self. This almost serves as a double lens, where the viewer is looking at a painting of a scene that is already captured. In this sense, the formal notions implied in the painting give us a sense of a reality captured already. It moves it quite smoothly into another time, but it is as if the figures were performing the other time, and the aura is one of a remarkably precise present.
This is a very geographic move as well as a philosophical move. It suggests that the social scenes today have resonances with those movements in the past. Miami is a perfect setting for these ideas, because the performance of self in everyday life is part of the way the city moves. From the tourists who enjoy their time at the five star hotels in Miami , to the regulars who frequent its famous clubs, there is an overt delight in being larger than life. The eternal qualities of the beach are fueled by the mechanical sounds of the clubs, making an energy that is entirely human, and entirely present.