Inner Circle
80 x 80 inches, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2013
Maitre D’
66 x 80 inches, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2012
Born in 1959, Jorge Santos is of Portuguese descent. His childhood was spent in Luanda, Angola before his family fled to Lisbon, Portugal in order to escape a violent political agenda. As Portugal sunk into its own revolution, Santos relocated to the United States in 1982. Through out these years, the artist consistently honed his draftsmanship as a form of escape from life’s unrest. Particularly struck by an Odd Nerdrum show at Forum Gallery, NY in the 90s, Santos began to experiment with and use paint thereafter.
Jorge Santos paintings are a profound display of picture making for the sheer purposes of formulating an all but transparent narrative via highly technical draftsmanship and paint handling. As a self-taught artist, the evolutionary process of his work is often subject to reconfiguration, repositioning, and refinement until the grand conclusion is met. Narrative is of such importance that even compositional concerns may be subordinate to the inclusion of a necessary motif in the storyline.
Night Fishing
67 x 106 inches, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2012
Mail Order Bride
60 x 68 inches, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2010
Dropping Notes
48 x 60 inches, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2013