By Lance Aaron
La Prensa de San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO — Featuring 65 top Western artists more than 200 paintings and sculptures covering all manner of subjects – from rugged frontier cowboys and noble Native Americans to historic missions and dreamy landscapes, this is perhaps the highest quality mix of work in the history of this event. “Night of Artists” also is the largest annual fundraiser for the Briscoe Museum – many of the works in the exhibit are for sale.
“Gain a sense of the inspiring exhibitions yet to come,” Karr said.
Just as interesting is the opportunity to preview the Briscoe Museum’s new Jack Guenther Pavilion exhibition galleries designed by Lake/Flato Architects.
The show is on view on two floors of the building and the top floor has a high peaked ceiling with wooden beams with a clean western flair that is complimentary to the quality of the art.
Enrique Guerra, an artist who has exhibited at every “Night of Artists” show, hails from an area near McAllen. Growing up in the border region, Guerra is passionate about working on both sides of the border. In addition to Texas’s four border states (from Tamaulipas to Chihuahua), painting excursions have taken him to the colonial cities Guadalajara, Jalisco and Malinalco in Mexico.
When asked what painter he most admires from Mexico, without missing a beat Guerra recalled the work of Saturnino Herran, a legend from Aguascalientes, Mexico. Many informed scholars recognize Herran, who tragically passed away at the height of his career in 1918 at 31, as one of the most talented artists Latin America ever produced.
Guerra has been painting since the early 1990s. His preferred mediums are traditional oil and bronze sculpture. Early in his career he studied in Santa Fe, New Mexico under Robert Lougheed and Tom Lovell, storied artists who specialize in Western motifs.
Guerra especially loves painting outdoors in “el campo abierto” away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. When he does capture urban scenes they are often from small and sometimes abandoned towns in Northern Mexico and the American Southwest. His images range from portraitures of street vendors to farmers tending their livestock.
Guerra’s family roots in Texas date back to the colonial days when Texas was a part of New Spain, so capturing historic ranching scenes or stories of characters, like…
Finish reading Enrique Guerra exhibits at Briscoe Western Art Museum
