The Sorcerer of the East Indies
Artist:
Sergio Hernández
(Mexican, born 1957)
Date: 2004
Place made:Mexico
Medium: Oil and sand on linen
Dimensions:
71 1/4 x 118 1/2 in. (181 x 301 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the artist
Object number: 2004.18
Copyright: © Sergio Hernández
Label Text
In this work, a group of musicians face the viewer and appear to be playing their instruments, which at times seem to be morphing into their players. The painting’s brilliant red background may be inspired by carmine, a dye made from the cochineal insect. For centuries, this pigment was a major export from what is now the Mexican state of Oaxaca, Hernandez’s birthplace. Hernandez is influenced by fellow Oaxacan artists Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo, whose works are also characterized by fluid and colorful abstract forms.
(Lucía Abramovich Sánchez, 2021)
(Lucía Abramovich Sánchez, 2021)
On view
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
