Early Hawaiians 1983

Carlos Almaraz made this painting using expressive strokes, intense color, and fluid gestures. I imagine Almaraz layering the paint, a whole symphony of turquoises, indigos, oranges, pinks, and yellows. See how he's built up the surface, letting the colors vibrate against each other? Those vertical marks, I'm guessing they're palm trees, right? They pull our eyes upwards, like the artist wanting us to feel the heat and humidity of the scene. The figures, they’re not really defined, but more like bursts of energy, caught in movement. I wonder what Almaraz was thinking about regarding a sense of history, identity, and place. He’s inviting us to ponder themes of belonging and cultural memory. Painting is just one artist in conversation with another. Almaraz is speaking through his brushstrokes, echoing the great colorists before him. He reminds us that painting isn't just about seeing; it's about feeling, about the experience of being in the world, a world that's always shifting and changing.