Gabriel Sanchez’s subjects are painted as if they are lit for photo shoots: Their skin shines, shadows are downplayed, there is a youthful glow to them.
Cuba itself is a character in these narratives, its sunny beaches, tiled floors, its Spanish Colonial architecture.
There is, as well, a deep sensuality that falls just short of sexual. In one painting, “Eternal Love,” a male couple, torsos bare, stands breathing distance apart, the emotional and physical bond between them apparent. In another, a naked woman is wrapped in white sheets on a bed. The title, “The Only Pleasure That’s Free,” suggests she has just indulged in some sort of carnal pleasure.
But in this context, that blankness feels profound, as if they are locked away in some cerebral prison that prevents the release of real expression.