JUAN BASTOS
ART OF THE PORTRAIT
JAN 18, Friday, 4-6 pm
JAN 19, Saturday, 4-6 pm
 

PALM DESERT, CA — Among the multitude of subjects available for painters, the singular, real-life person may be the most difficult to successfully execute. The artist must capture the spirit, the soul of his subject in addition to a likeness of physical features. For those who view portraiture, the work behind the painting typically remains a mystery. What did the artist see, and how did he create the appropriate “mood?" CODA Gallery unlocks such secrets in presenting public demonstrations by accomplished portrait painter Juan Bastos on January 18 and 19, from 4 to 6pm.

The Bolivian-American will share his thoughts and techniques as he renders a pastel composition in the gallery on Palm Desert’s El Paseo from 4 to 6 pm on both days. Working with a model, he will explain the creation of a portrait study (the first step in the process); give tips on how he obtains a likeness; and reveal the roles of light, color, and clothing in portraiture. Viewers may ask questions and even film the artist at work.

Bastos studied fine arts and architecture at the University of San Andres in La Paz. After arriving in the United States, he graduated cum laude with a bachelor of fine arts degree from Maryland Institute College of Art and with a master of fine arts degree from Maryland’s Towson University. He has lived in Los Angeles since1996, but travels throughout North America, South America,  Europe, and Asia for exhibitions and commissions. Commissioning institutions include the University of Southern California, Good Samaritan Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, George Washington University, and Harvard University.

In 1999, The New York Times profiled Bastos in a feature on the re-emergence of traditional portraiture. In late 2017, Denenberg Fine Arts in West Hollywood mounted a 20-year retrospective of Bastos’ California portraits. Forty portraits were lent to the gallery by various individual clients, institutional clients, and from the artist’s own collection for a show that was part of The Getty Center’s region-wide exhibition, “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” that celebrated Latin American artists in Southern California. Among his portrait subjects in that retrospective were Rudolph Nureyev, Gore Vidal, Charlize Theron, Richard Harrison, and Sir Ian McKellen.

The event will begin with a reception for the artist and refreshments, followed by the talk and demonstration. For reservations on January 18 or January 19, please click below, call 760-346-4661, or email contact@codagallery.com.

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Please specify Friday or Saturday, January 18 or 19.

Preview the book
THE ART OF JUAN F. BASTOS