José Luis Sánchez Rull

Jose Luis Sanchez Rull was born in Mexico City, 1964. He studied at PRATT Institute, and finished in 1987. Sanchez Rull showed an early interest in drawing and comic book figures. Goya and the German Expressionists were an early and deep influence on his print work, as well has Quatrocento painting.

Style

His work has been figurative, but has evolved into a comic book form influenced by Robert Crumb, famous for his "Keep on Truckin" figure but also known as a brilliant draftsman. Sanchez Rull was also influenced by Preshispanic drawings and pop culture figures like Tom and Jerry. He has his own unique touch, as seen in works such as The Suite San Loco. This suite of 25 etchings is filled with obsessive details and describes scenes inspired by a nearby cemetery. Mexico City itself has placed a large part in the formation of his work. The energy of this, the world's largest city, is reflected in the violence and chaos of his images.

Philosophy

In a world full of violence and violent images how does one reconcile the conflict of feeling oneself to be both victim and survivor? The idea of violence can have a mulitplicity of meanings and references. In a visual context violence can be the energy presented by the forms,by their nature and mode of execution,color and content. Violence can express a need for cleansing, a need for redemption through destruction, a need to escape through anihilation. In the work of Sanchez Rull all this can be found along with the sense of guilt and conflict felt by a bystander, who stays too long peering at a wreck as the bodies are taken away. Innocence has been lost but redemption is expressed by the elegance of execution evident in his pieces.

Activities

Sanchez Rull has been in Mexico City, Paris, and New York. He is also a Professor of Drawing and Senior Studio at "La Esmeralda" in the National Center of the Arts. His painting "Protector of Children" will be part of the 35 Festival Internacional Cervantino at La galería Las Monas, en León,Mexico