Enrique Santana
Spanish
2012
Oil on linen
The painting Mies 2012, II, part of a body of work entitled Urban Landscapes by contemporary artist Enrique Santana, features the exterior ground level of a 26-floor steel and glass apartment building located at 860-880 North Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. The building, designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in what is known as the modern International Style, was completed in 1951.
Santana chooses to depict one part of the building rather than the structure in its totality. The painting nevertheless conveys with precision and technical skill the sense of abstraction and geometry inherent in minimalist architecture. The work has a photorealistic quality, which Santana achieves by conveying mood through light and the reflection of Lake Michigan on the glass windows. Devoid of human presence and austere, Mies 2012, II is arguably not about the theme of loneliness, but rather about what the artist describes as the “quiet strength” of buildings.
Santana’s works have been widely exhibited in galleries and museums in Europe and in the United States. A native of Spain, he has been twice awarded the Medalla de Oro (Gold Medal of Honor) from the Spanish government for his artistic achievements. Santana has lived and worked in Chicago since 1991.