Now through the end of summer, visitors can step into the world of Alfredo Ramos Martínez at the Garfield Park Conservatory.
“He is known as the Father of Mexican Modernism,” said Lena Dimitroff, a Class 2 floriculturist at the conservatory.
Dimitroff helped design the conservatory’s latest “Artist’s Garden Flower Show” inspired by Martínez, a painter, muralist and educator who made significant contributions to the development of Mexican and Southern Californian art.
“He has a very — they say it’s a bold, yet calming [style],” Dimitroff said. “He also liked to use a lot of earth tones you’ll see throughout … some of the reds, the orange, the marigolds, calendula that people are maybe more familiar with.”
Photo credit Carolina Garibay
She said the outdoor exhibit is filled with plants and flowers used in Martínez’s depictions of indigenous life and rural landscapes, including Calla Lilies, Mexican petunias and Mexican Sunflowers.
“There’s symbolism within the flowers, so fertility, what nature and Earth can show and bring to us,” Dimitroff said.
As you walk through the exhibit, you’ll also find placards that provide information about Martínez’s life and how his experiences shaped the work he created.
Photo credit Carolina Garibay
Dimitroff said while designing the exhibit, she took inspiration from what she said was considered a “rebellious” technique of Martínez’s called “en plein air,” or open-air painting.
“It started with a group of 10 boys, so they would use nature and the outdoor landscape as a classroom,” she said. “I love that we’ll have people here that will come and bring an easel … people will literally come here and paint and be inspired by nature and the flowers that we have.”
It’s almost like the patrons become a part of the exhibit, she said, as they hopefully find comfort in the plants.
“I just want people to experience the peace and happiness and inspiration that can come just from walking and viewing … there are hard, hard times all around us,” she said. “Hopefully this just brings some calm.”
The exhibit is open now through September 14. Reservations are required.