The Art of Natalie Galindo

The Art of Natalie Galindo

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What is Art?

Art has been philosophized through time, by artists and viewers, by civilizations and cultures, beyond many interpretations, countless systems of value and diverse critical analysis. Although there may be too many ways to define it, interpret it, and even frame their multiple meanings, there are constants which submerge from our awareness; objective factors that we mark with our subjective understanding in order to progress into the future of our creations.

We, as human beings, change with our perceptions, just like our understanding of Art. Our creations reflect us who we are through time, marking our humanity in beauty. The masterpieces we cherish, do not change; their essence live on to be relevant to our present. These masterpieces carry substances that, either we recognize it consciously, or admire it mystically. Art allows us to explore all possibilities, by connecting to where we come from, reflecting to where we are, and creating all the possibilities with our imagination.

It is an honor to write this article about Art by exposing a natural talented Natalie Galindo. It is with such joy to present her breath-taking paintings with a deep analysis.

But first, a little information about her:

Natalie Galindo is a Miami based Multidisciplinary Artist and Certified Yoga Instructor. She loves experimenting with different mediums; she is mostly known for her impressionist style, her expressive brush stokes, and her playful use of color. Dichotomies are concepts she continues to explore and expand in her own way; painting experiences within and around her.

Natalie's Art struck me from its first impression, the depth in her simplicity captivated me to understand it further. When I decided to write this article about it, I asked her meet up for some questions. After our conversation, I began to understand why I adored her Art so much. However, before we get into the analysis, let me present to you where I come from.

I'm an Artist as well, but I am more inclined into Literature and Music, I do paint and draw but only when they are intertwined with my main projects. I like to study Art, Literature, Philosophy, Spirituality and Alchemy. Within my studies, I have been founding bridges between these genres and it is so refreshing to understand the why of things. I concur with Da Vinci's words when he said: "Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else."

Regarding my taste in Art, I appreciate all expressions, but I am subjectively picky in style, I deeply admire and support a selective from it. From those, I love and adore only a few. Natalie Galindo's Art is within those. For her Art is rich in substance, quality, and meaning. So with that, let's begin:

Through my analysis and my conversation with her, the words: "Transcendental Impressionism" captured much of the expressions. For she paints from what is real, from photos and memories, and through her life experiences to create her paintings, yet the technique amplifies the poetic conversation of the concept with the experience of seeing it.

Take a minute to observe this masterpiece: "Timeless"

Timeless - Natalie Galindo

This is a self-portrait. See all the colors and details and make up this marvelous piece. "Transcendental Impressionism" suggests a transcendence, not particularly in movement, but of experience. And the fact that the subjects in her paintings are real, suggests a more 'magical realism' essence. The title "Timeless" suggests a transcendence beyond time through our experiences. I see the two faces represent its substance; one with her eyes open and one with eyes closed. Both of them could be a before and/or after an experience, and this singular concept are presented with a duality supported by her style.

Furthermore, look closely to the expressions of the faces. They seem to be opposing each other, the face on the right looks away from the other face. And the face on the left has her eyes closed in meditation, as if she is in a different state. I take this interpretation as a balance between the spiritual and the physical; a way to portray the light being we are (become aware of being when we meditate, for example) opposed to the earthly being we are in this physical reality. The concepts behind the paintings are open for the viewer to interpret subjectively and that makes the Art even more spectacular: depth in its simplicity.

The symbolism of color is another incredible aspect. Violet is considered the color of transformation, and it balances perfectly within the center and sides to frame the composition. The light blue also hints lightly to blend in the painting its completeness, making both colors suggest that transcendence. Also, the Black and White colors portray a contrast that creates depth. Black Darkness from the subject, and White Light from the surrounding; I interpret this use of color as an alchemical process, happening inside-out. Notice that the painting has a lot of dark shades but there are hints of light colors all around, giving it a positive look; even that the expressions are neutral, there's sense of release in a serious tone that invites the viewer to see and stay in the transcendence of looking at this painting.

Last but not least, take a look at her opened eyes, she has a look we can all recognize and relate. At least, in my perspective, I interpret her look as if she eyes are absorbing the moment, being present but also distant in her thoughts; the way we look at things in our mind when we are conscious of where we are, but we let thoughts or feeling pass through us. I believe we can see a similar look in "A Bar at the Folies-Bergere" by Eduard Manet, yet, here, Natalie Galindo presents a more hopeful yet serious look full of integrity.

What do you see? Take a moment to see and really take in the painting. Feel free to comment as well.

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Natalie says that she loves to experiment with Dichotomies. In "Reflections" we can see it:

Reflections - Natalie Galindo

"Reflections" take on these concepts in a different approach: these are two different paintings, presented next to each other, as if they were one. As you can see, the paintings are very similar, but the lighting and the colors are different.

From these two paintings, we can dive a little deeper about Art, and how Natalie's paintings show deep concepts rich in substance:

With my conversation with Natalie, I asked her what is Art for her, and she told me her definition: "For me Art is how we do things, the way I hold this cup is Art, the way people move, how they talk.” And I agreed.

In philosophical terms, I see Art as a way of polishing our connection to everything else with grace. The way an artist paints on a canvas is not much different to how they serve tea, or how they talk and move, supporting Natalie's definition. Hence, the process of creation has many layers that sometimes not even the Artist is aware, but when the creation begins it is the artist's responsibility to be aware of what is happening. With the 'magic' of manifestation, the Artist must mold the creation in order for its beauty to exalt from its medium.

This is why Natalie Galindo's Art is so exceptional, she does not only presents concepts of meditation, reflection, and contemplation in her paintings, but her way of painting exalts them with transcendence, with mixture of colors that almost seem translucent, ethereal, and spiritual.

Now the idea of spirituality can have broad spectrum depending on how it is understood, and although it may be closely related to religion or God within its connotation, it doesn't have to be necessarily. I think 'Spirituality' is to be consciously aware of what is 'Spirit.'

According to different philosophical schools, there's a difference between Soul and Spirit. The understanding of 'Soul' is commonly attributed to 'Living Beings,' beings that grow, think and feel like plants and animals. However, Spirit can be attributed to all physical things, and it is related to its essence, purpose, intention and meaning. Spirit is more inclined to be understood as the essence of its existence; everything that is physically existent in our reality, as we perceive it, was manifested from the 'spiritual realm' or the realm that is pre-existent to what is in this physical reality.

For instance, if I imagine a blue box, the essence of that is will live in my imagination; if I create it physically then the spirit of what I imagine will be living within its physical manifestation. The manifestation carries part of the essence of my spirit, being I the creator. If that blue box is destroyed, the physical manifestation may transform into ashes, but its spirit will linger to live on within my perception, as well as its experience of it being here in this reality as well. So even though the physical manifestation is no longer existent, the experience of it being real is the spirit that will live on for everything and everyone who experienced it. From this angle of understanding spirit, we frame spirituality by being aware of its existence, beyond the physical realm, it is the perception of connecting to the essence of things; by respecting its sacredness, we respect life itself and everything that is given to us.

The Spirit of Love will live on beyond our perception, for instance. We understand expressions of Love, we are witnesses of manifestations of Love, of caring, of brotherhood, family, and friendship. It is the spirit of those values that live on, beyond our physical reality.

Spirituality is also present in Natalie Galindo's Art, for she paints in a style that suggests energy, a state of flux, transformation, transcendence, and even mysticism. "Reflections" suggests so many ideas of meditation, contemplation, comparison, contrast, introspection; all supported by her transcendent impressionist style. And even if she's the subject of this piece, the two paintings suggests that there's a viewer witnessing through this artistic window. The composition shows her looking outwardly, yet the mood presented gives an inwardly approach as well; she faces to reach out to the viewer, as an invitation to do the same.

"Reflections" can be taken into many other interpretations just by the composition alone. Notice that her shadow is shared by the two subjects, this detail could signify so much for each viewer subjectively. I take it as a poetic analogy to "Timeless" seeing how the shadows are inside and the lights outside.

I think the use of color is the main focus in "Reflections," for they are what portray the contrast and similarities of the two paintings. The colors also frame the two subjects, creating a more artistic environment. Natalie could have used only one color for the background, emphasizing the subjects to the viewer, but no, there are multiple colors that play a striking impression just like the subjects.

The philosophical approach I take from this painting is the concept of reflection with Art: how Art can reflect us, and how Art can reflect us to each other. It is common for people to use Art for healing or therapy, and it may go deeper into alchemical experiences but I will be brief in this matter for now: the process of expressing our emotions and thoughts to a medium allows us to see our expressions objectively and process it subjectively in another state. The experience of creating can have a “soul healing journey” that can only be described by the artist, and it is not only about the result of the artwork but the process; this connects to what we were discussing about what Art is. Have you had this experience reader?

This painting can also suggest how we not see each other (given that the subject are not facing each other) and how the viewer can see us through it. Interesting uh?

What about you? What can you reflect on it?

Natalie creates a variety of Art through different series, collaborative works and distinct mediums, but this article is only focused on three of her paintings because I think they show powerful substance and beautiful constancy throughout. Feel free to see the links at the end of the article to see more of her Art.

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The last painting to analyze in this article is "Waves of Consciousness"

Waves of Consciousness - Natalie Galindo

There are many ways to interpret this painting and so many concepts may come forth from it. This painting speaks more by its visual than anything else that could be said about it. Just with its title, the viewer can grasp what is the spirit of the painting and how subjective this experience can be for each of us individually.

The themes of the previous paintings are also reflected in "Waves of Consciousness." Therefore, I will only mention a few details.

Blue is known as a color of community, approachable, communicative, passive and serene when applied appropriately; this is the color that unifies the painting and the transition of the subject through the waves. Also, the use of Black and White also present a similar approach of contrast and similarity; notice that Black is dominant on the left with more vivid colors and White is dominant on the right with more faded colors; this creates a perfect harmonious balance between them. All other colors enclose the painting to giving the eyes an integral composition.

One of the most interesting details in this painting is the eyes. Her eyes open only at one position; as the waves of consciousness transcend through time, it is only at one second where the eyes are open. I interpret this as consciousness being aware only at the present moment; even if we can remember the past, or even imagine the future, consciousness will always live in awareness at the present moment. This is such an important element to represent through Art, especially when the style supports it.

For me, Art is not only the outer look on things, but its value is closely related to its substance, the spirit of its meaning, intention and purpose. To follow Aristotle's quote:

"The aim of Art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance."

Natalie Galindo expresses deep inward significances in her Art; her paintings present the spiritual of the real with her transcendental impressionism; it reaches out to the viewer with ideas that speak much only with her visuals. The concept of time, consciousness, reflections, meditation, contemplation, and many other interpretations can be found in her paintings, but these concepts are exalted with her style, her use of colors, its balance and composition are developed harmoniously in a way that completes the paintings, no brush stoke feels out of place, all details seem to add to the depth of the paintings.

All these are factors can frame what Art is, or at least how we can understand it today. Although there may be thousands of interpretations, given that we can seen Art subjectively, there are objective factors that can be common to the critical eye, and these begin to build a frame into what is right in front of us. Natalie presents the dichotomies through her Art that function as step-by-step transcendence; when one idea is captivated by the viewer, the other is there to amplify its depth, either with contrast or similarity. The concepts presented in her Art are expressed through the colors, supported by her style and perfected by the composition; consequentially exposing quality with its simplicity.

Natalie Galindo's talent goes beyond these paintings, so I invite you to explore her Art at her webpage and see the different approaches she develops with her creativity: www.ngalindo.com

Last but not least, I am proud to be one of her Patreons, she offers inside looks into her art, powerful audios of meditation and even Yoga classes!

There's no doubt Natalie Galindo has incredible artistic talent for the world, and these painting are just the beginning of her path for the future of Art.

Thank you Natalie!

- Facundo Raganato

Literature & Poetry

Natalie Galindo's Website: www.ngalindo.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Inkfinitenat

Anthony Galindo Fundraiser: https://donate.nami.org/fundraiser/3404696

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/infinite.nat/

https://www.instagram.com/inkfinitenat/