For this assignment, I have chosen to look over a portrait study by Luis Carlos Rodriquez. I just recently became a fan of his artwork, as my significant other’s grandmother had sent me one of his paintings. After receiving the painting I have looked at some of his other artwork that is available online. This portrait was done in 1979, according to the seller on eBay (Bonbazo, eBay).
About the Artist
Along with one of his paintings, I also received a card containing his biography. It is not dated, and contains no references. I am assuming this was handed out at one of his many art exhibitions. Rodriguez was born in Colombia, and gained much of his early art training there at the National School of Fine Arts and the Tanagra Academy of Art. Later in life, he moved to Mexico to continue his art education at tje Sam Carlos University. After this he moved to the United States and attended the Art Center School in Los Angeles (biography card).
Luis Carlos Rodriquez often creates his images using a continuous line contour method, where he draws an object without lifting his pen or pencil. By regulating the closeness and thickness of the lines, he then creates an illusion of texture and variation in light in the imagery. Obviously, this technique relies heavily on lines.
At a first glance…
What caught my attention the most in this portrait is the simplicity working with intricacy of detailed and carefully placed lines. This seems like a juxtaposition, where Rodriguez has placed two sides of a face close together. At first glance, they seem identical, but there are slight differences noted after careful observation. The way the artist has placed the lines to create shading and lighting creates ever so soft differences between the two sides.
The art itself seems so simple, but after looking at it you can see that there has been much contemplation and time placed in this. I am astonished over how much emotion is captured in the eyes of this old man. There seems to be a story leading up to this moment, and looking at the drawing makes me wonder so much. What is it exactly about this work of art that creates this effect? Let’s take a look at that…
Tone & Value
What strikes me the most is the simplicity of tones in this drawing. Rodriguez has utilized a simple black pen to draw on white paper. By creating lines that are tighter and alternating in thickness, Rodriguez has created variation in the tones of the image. Where the lines are closer and thicker create darker areas, looking like shading on the faces, while the lines that are further apart and thinner make it look there is light.
Through this technique, Rodriguez has created an illusion of form using very simple mediums. By drawing these lines, Rodriguez has essentially created the illusion of faces where light and dark is contrasting and creating texture.
Not only do the lines create tones, but they create value as well. This is similar to the variation in tones above. Rob Flye writes about values and how these impact a piece of art. He explains that there are two sets of values, low key and high key, where the lows are artwork with mainly dark values and the highs are artwork with mainly light values. The values of the piece of art will set the mood for the viewer (R. Flye, 2011). Going off the explanation that Flye gives regarding the impact of values, it is because of the high key values that Rodriguez’ artwork that makes the old man seem so deep in thought about something.
Lines
As mentioned in the beginning of this post, Rodriguez’ portrait relies heavily on lines for effect. What amazes me is that lines seem to be such a simple notion, yet they can create so much in a work of art. Looking over the lines in the portrait, Rodriguez has used continuous freehand lines. According to the Artyfactory, “Freehand lines can express the personal energy and mood of the artist.” This makes me think that all the emotion that is seen in the old man’s eyes, could very well be a reflection of Rodriguez’ emotions as he is drawing the man. The Art Factory continues to explain that, “Curved lines suggest comfort and ease.” The freehand lines are full of curves, making them feel natural and comforting.
The variation of thickness of lines creates a variation in strength and delicacy (Artyfactory), which to me makes this old man seem very strong yet humble.
Space
I think the spacing of the objects in the drawing are very interesting as well. It seems that the two faces are a part of one study of the same man, just in different lighting. The light source seems to be in between the two men, since the lightest part of both their faces is on the side facing the other. Because of this, it’s as if there is a greater space between the two faces.
The space makes it seem as if it could be two separate people, but the faces are still close enough that it could be one. The space between the faces creates tension in the portrait. All the negative space around the faces also creates a sense of void or emptiness in the man in the portrait.
The parts where Rodriguez has not drawn in any lines is essentially negative space. But what is so amazing is how these empty spaces work around the lines that are drawn, allowing our imagination fill the spaces in. We don’t actually see the form of the face as it is drawn, we “complete” the drawing with our imagination to see the form of the face.
In Conclusion
This portrait study by Rodriguez is so amazing to me, as it has been drawn with such simplicity and detail. Rodriguez has chosen to utilize such simple measures to express such immense emotion. His methods for drawing this activates the brain of who is gazing upon it, as they will naturally “fill in the blanks” of the face.
The portrait seems dreamy and contemplating. The man in the image seems to be yearning or longing for something. While there seems to be confidence and strength, the man in the drawing seems very humble. Because of this beautiful display of emotions, I would not mind owning this in my home.
References
“Line as a Visual Element of Art.” The Visual Elements of Art, Artyfactory, www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/line.html
Bonbazo. “Luis Carlos Rodriguez Lithograph ‘Portrait Study’ Print Original 1979 Signed.” eBay, Jan 18, 2019, ebay.com/itm/Luis-Carlos-Rodriguez-Lithograph-Portrait-Study-Print-Original-1979-Signed/142956962048?hash=item2148e62100:g:3uMAAOSwkfFbsDn8
Flye, Rob. “Value.” Flye School, 2011, flyeschool.com/content/value
Miranda Johansson 
Fascinating to read what you have to say about this artist, who is new to me. His artistic vision is inspiring. Thank you very much for writing so much about what he did and what it means!
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I have seen lines on drawings like this but I did not realize they were a continuous lines! It really does not leave room for error. The image is so simple but as you said, the lines are a complicated illusion to create lighting and perspective. I’m sure a lot of the energy of the artist comes through in the lines, even how he was feeling the minute he drew it. I would like to see other drawings of his up close to see if I can see a different energy in his lines. It kind of reminds me of the da Vinci self portrait- https://www.leonardodavinci.net/self-portrait.jsp
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I really like how much detail and expression is portrayed with just lines. Something I particularly enjoy about this is the “shading” he does with the lines. The denser the lines are spaced, the more depth is added to the image. Thanks for sharing!
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It’s so simple yet has a lot of things, I quite agree that the lines are simple but have a lot of detail. You can definitely have a whole bunch of lines but have a lot of details as well. I admire this kind of work because lines are very hard to work with and the best I could draw is stick people. You can see the concern in his face and that’s only with lines! That’s incredible.
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I agree with you, this piece of art that you chose to recognize is amazing. It is something that is very unique and seems to take some skill with just a pen and some lines. I think its great that you chose an artist that you recently got a piece from, because you can compare and contrast the two pieces and discover what his style really. I think that lines and space play a huge role in this image, so good job on hitting those points. Line art is something that is very pleasing to look at, in my opinion. Well done on this post.
-Savanna
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I really like this piece of art you chose to post. With favoring more landscape art i found this post containing portrait style art very intriguing which surprised me. I agree with when you talked about Rodriguez adding tone while using only one pen and not various ones. Its pretty amazing how you can change line wights and thicknesses with one pen to make a 2-d drawing come alive. It was also interesting trying to find the differences between the two drawings.
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