Neo-Icons

John Nava: Neo-Icons
Paintings and Tapestries

When:  Tues., March 25 – Sun., May 18, 2008
Where:  Duncan Gallery
Conversation with the Artist: Fri., March 28, 4:15 pm

His critique is not limited to the Republican Party or the Neo-Conservative movement but makes a wider critique of all who have been “cowed into acquiescence by flag-waving and fear mongering.” The children depicted in these paintings – his own children among them – all seem to ask, “What should we learn from this?”

Following his success at creating iconic tapestries for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, John Nava has created a new series of icons – images that challenge the domestic and foreign policies enacted by the Bush administration. Though Nava’s involvement in political dissent goes back to his student days of the 1960s this is the first time that he has made these issues a part of his work as a painter – even during the tumultuous days of the unfolding of Watergate and Iran- Contra. Following in the rich tradition of political activism among artists like Picasso, Goya and others, Nava’s first foray into the political arena within the context of his art work directly addresses his concern on canvases and tapestries that depict the draft-age men and women as well as the children and youth of today who will have to deal with the repercussions of this war for years to come. His critique is not limited to the Republican Party or the Neo-Conservative movement but makes a wider critique of all who have been “cowed into acquiescence by flag-waving and fear mongering.” The children depicted in these paintings – his own children among them – all seem to ask, “What should we learn from this?”

The Santa Barbara gallery, Sullivan Goss, first exhibited John Nava’s Neo-Icons series in October of 2006. Gallery vice president Frank Goss wrote “Gericault had the failing Bourbon government, Goya had Napoleon Bonaparte, Picasso had Franco, Leon Golub had Kissinger and Nixon, and John Nava – well, he’s had enough. Louis XVIII, Napoleon, Franco, Nixon, Bush Jr. – to name a few have all been leaders of wars of occupation. The lineage of The Raft of the Medusa, the Disasters of War, Guernica, and Golub’s biting portraits provide a forceful precedent for Nava to use his canvas to protest the grim consequences of unprovoked war. Like his predecessors, Nava finds it impossible to reconcile the viciousness of a war so profoundly futile.” As an aside, the Noble Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz puts the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at more than $3 trillion – and when other factors are added – such as interest on debt, future borrowing for war expenses, continued military presence in Iraq and lifetime health-care and counseling for veterans – he thinks that the wars’ true costs range from $5 trillion to $7 trillion.

Nava studied art at UC Santa Barbara and did his graduate work in Florence, Italy. He rose to international prominence in 1999 when the Archdiocese of Los Angeles commissioned him to create twenty- five tapestries representing the Communion of Saints for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels consisting of 136 portraits of saints from all parts of the world.