The Inspired Madness of Juan Davila

"Bedroom Ensemble" 1980 -- Picture courtesy Juan Davila

by blogSpotter
I've always been fascinated with art, and with trying to figure the artist's angle. If the artist is too abstract (think Jackson Pollack's paint splashes or Mondrian's rectangles) I am lost as to the overall message. If the artist is too conventional (eg, Norman Rockwell) the picture is enjoyable but not really challenging. Then some artists such as Salvador Dali hit you with strange mutations of familiar themes (melted watches, creatures that are half-elephant, half-tree). Or you have Pablo Picasso who gave us nude women in shifted geometric forms. These last two are more tangible -- the picture tells you a bit of what it's about and you have to decipher the rest. Particularly with Dali, you have the sense that maybe you're getting a nose-tweak, but you can't be sure.

Now comes an artist, Juan Davila, who admirably takes up where Salvador Dali left off. His mixed-media paintings are a mixture of everything -- sketches, cartoons, newspaper prints and what not. The titles of his works give you a hint if the absurdly positioned subject matter does not. Davila is a 61 year old native of Chile who relocated to Australia in 1974, to escape the Pinochet regime. His artwork has been described as "activist" or "content" art as compared to "formalist" art. In fact, some of his most recent productions have been political cartoons lampooning Australian leaders. Other topics that have inspired him are: capitalism, sex and religion. I look at his pictures, coupled with their titles and am frequently moved to laugh. "What in the heck is that devil-looking creature doing to that hermaphroditic man??" What goes on in the minds of artists? Dali was Davila's inspiration one has to figure. Dali was actually accused of madness, but said in response, "There is only one problem with that assertion --- I am not mad".



"The Kiss" 1982 -- Picture courtesy Juan Davila

One interesting biographical detail is that Davila went to law school, only to chuck it all aside for oil painting. The public is fortunate that he made this career decision; he turned a negative into a strong positive. I've included a couple of his actually less-objectionable pictures here. His silk screens can be seen at:

Davila silk screen gallery

When you look at these wack pictures, you might wonder what's going on or maybe you don't care. Just have a chuckle – Davila has made your day more visually interesting.

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