...Octavio
Ocampo finds in painting a source of intellectual as well as plastic
pleasure. Behind that deep green gaze of his, he does not hesitate
to assert that his main concern is to be generous to the spectator
of his metamorphic figures, intending by all means to make them forget
their ennui.
From his academic beginnings, Ocampo has evolved toward a style of
his own, free of deep crises and governed by his naturally playful
penchant for mysterious atmospheres and optical illusions. He has
been fascinated by these from an early age, when he realised that
gestaltic forms are unstable, capricious. Therefore, he has worked
as a scenographer and as a muralist, enthralled by the deceit, the
visual game... taking part in many art shows around the world.
The
simulacrum...
Trompe l'oeil -deception of the eye-, the theoretical foundation
of Ocampo's main interest, has a long tradition in art history.
It not only reaches back to Arcimboldi, with his formal transubs¬tantiations,
but is deeply rooted in the heart of Roman painting, which took
pleasure in simulating doors, landscapes, and decorative elements
within domestic architecture. Neverthe¬less, trompe l'oeil
has rarely been considered as a genre by itself in the history of
painting; the term applies only to those works which promote the
feeling of a deliberate attempt to deceive the spectator through
a somewhat anti¬pictorial device, as in this case. We may therefore
consider the work of this mas¬ter as a veritable contribution
to contemporary art.
We
might describe any of the paintings of this master of illusion with
the words: "Seeing is believing". This is how he has gained
the admiration of well-known art collectors, either Mexican or American,
including several ex-presidents. His easel work and his various
murals are wonders of ingenuity, magnificent displays of creativity.
They must be seen
María
Helena Noval....
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