Professor Wilfredo Chiesa returns to UMass Boston this fall after a brief leave of absence last semester. Chiesa is a drawing and painting teacher here at the university and is a professional painter himself. While away from school he had three one-man shows in Boston, New York and San Juan, went to Spain to secure a study space in Ibiza, and began new painting projects as well.
The Boston show was at the Isole Gallery, the new design showroom and painting gallery in Park Sq. The professor’s San Juan show, which he said, “was very successful,” consisted of 16 new paintings. “I hadn’t exhibited in San Juan for ten years,” Chiesa added. He also showed 12 new paintings in April at the Peter Findlay Gallery in New York City.
On top of running around to new openings and producing new work, Chiesa also traveled to Spain in order to secure a new studio to work in during his summers. The new studio, which is located in Ibiza, will be quite a change from his downtown Boston studio, which he may lose after The Big Dig is completed.
During his San Juan show, Chiesa was commissioned to create a mural.
“Apart from the shows, which were great, the most interesting thing that happened to me, was as a spin-off from the San Juan show, I was invited to make a mural painting in my home town of Old San Juan.”
The abstract piece will be a fresco, which means that paint will be applied to wet plaster, mixing with the plaster as it dries. The fresco will be 75 ft. long and 50 ft. high. It will consist of 110 panels, each 4 ft. x 6 ft. He will actually create the massive mural in Syracuse, Italy, and transport it, piece by piece, back to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The fresco will explore one single form -the oculo, which correlates with his last series that dealt with the arch. The oculo, which Chiesa has incorporated into his recent paintings (see photo), is essentially four arches that point out from the center. This form will be the main element in the Old San Juan fresco project.
“This is exciting. I’ve always wanted to work on frescoes, but never had the chance. I learned the technique back in school.”
Despite all that he has going on in his life, Professor Chiesa will resume teaching here at UMass.
“I’m looking forward to being back, especially in the classroom. I miss working with the students.”