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Oscar Luis Martinez Fine Arts
1841 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL  60608

  Owner/Operator: Oscar Luis Martinez
Primary Medium: Oil on Canvas
Contact the gallery
Website: www.oscarmartinez.com
 
 
GALLERY MISSION

Artist Statement
My artwork is about creating the appearance of narratives and dramas that are based on reality, dreams and the imagination. This symbolic visual world is based on the illusions that help us give order to an incomprehensible world. I use a personal symbolic vocabulary or metaphors and a complex layering of time and space that are repeated to create a visual memory. This allows me to define my own sense of the metaphysical aspects of life. I use figures, shapes and forms in combination or separately to create a range of possibilities in the visual vocabulary of my artwork.

Biography
Oscar Martinez resides in Chicago, Illinois. Through the study of science and art at the University of Illinois at Champaign, in 1977, he received a Bachelor of Science in Medical Art from the University of Illinois Medical Center. Mr. Martinez is an accomplished artist who has had numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Southeastern and Midwest regions of the U.S. Among his many credits, his work has been shown in the Museum of Bellas Artes and the National Historical Museum in Mexico, the Desplaines Museum in Illinois, NIU Museums Gallery in Chicago, the Field Museum of Chicago, the State of Illinois Museum in Springfield and its gallery in Chicago at the State of Illinois Building. Additionally, his work has been featured on various television shows and published in newspapers and magazines.

Martinez was actively involved in the Chicago mural movement and has painted numerous murals throughout the city. Moreover, he was appointed by the Mayor of Chicago to judge the international Design/Build competition for the Chicago Public Library and the selection of the library's art collection. He was also appointed by the Governor of the State of Illinois to the Illinois Arts Council where he served as chair of Media Arts. Furthermore, he has served on various boards and commissions including as President of the Latino Institute of Chicago. He is also the founder of the Latin American Museum of Art. In 2005, he did an Artist in Residency at the University of Illinois at Champaign. He is currently Artist in Residence at the Chicago Grammar School.
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