Another volume by MoCAA Editions is now available to art enthusiasts and collectors: Noel Dobarganes Volume II. This extensive, meticulously curated work provides an in-depth inventory of Dobarganes’ exploration of both portraiture and abstraction. Spanning nearly 300 pages, the volume includes critical essays and reviews by distinguished writers such as Fernando Castro Flores, Píter Ortega, and Ángel Acosta. Dobarganes is a prolific artist; his creativity is unyielding, and he possesses the rare, extrinsic virtue of persistence and determination. His style grows increasingly personal, and he has amassed a body of work—likely to endure as a significant facet of his oeuvre—where figurative elements begin to flirt with abstraction.
Dobarganes’ work is often analyzed as a cohesive statement, not only of formal principles but also of instrumental and value-based criteria. Critic Andrés Isaac Santana, in a June 2020 essay published in Arte al Límite, noted, "I am particularly struck by the fact that Noel embraced abstraction for a considerable period, enough to master its nuances. This insight, perhaps disregarded by others, seems especially relevant and perceptive in assessing his recent work. Within it, as in a kaleidoscope, both languages coexist harmoniously. A closer look at any of its segments reveals the potency of an abstract gesture, where the reference dissolves into the whole. Hence, approaching his pieces with alternating proximity and distance unveils remarkable visual discoveries."
Antonio Correa, in his article The Enchanted Painting of Noel Dobarganes (June 2019, Hypermedia), describes Noel as one who revisits a classical tradition with an oblique gaze, as if navigating between two realms, distilling the best of both to create a meticulous visuality. His painting bears little of the Cuban aesthetic but resonates deeply with American painting, particularly the works of Chuck Close, Mel McCuddin, and Canadian artist André Desjardins.
A fascination with the classical—from a contemporary visual language—drives Dobarganes' exploration beyond mere revival. Also central is his preoccupation with time, especially with lost time. Absolute faces reflected in the firmness of mirrors—a nod to Lezama Lima’s poetry—the antipodes, the fleeting allure of fascination, all contribute to an intense and boundless visuality that overflows the frame. At moments, there is an impression of a glassy fractality that overtakes the image.
On Dobarganes’ art, critic and curator Píter Ortega has commented: "Noel Dobarganes is a versatile artist, adeptly moving between abstraction and figuration. His subjects include rural landscapes, animal representations, human faces, and female nudes. Distinctive elements of his style are the dynamism and visible movement within the compositions, pronounced chromatic contrasts, and a sophisticated interplay between figure and background, often privileging the former over the latter. Themes like the relationship between humanity and nature, the unpredictable effects of light, and the connections between past, present, and future are approached through multiple layers of paint. This confluence is the essence of the visual poetry that defines Noel Dobarganes."
Many of these texts are collected in this exquisite volume, available upon request directly from the artist.
Noel Dobarganes (b. Matanzas, Cuba, 1977) graduated from the Escuela Profesional de Artes Plásticas “Roberto Diago”. Time and memory serve as central themes in his reflection, and he explores the complexity of color, space, and line. His works are densely layered, often evoking a sense of horror vacui. Dobarganes embraces decoration and ornamentation, and texture plays a vital role in his creations—seductive, filled with sensuality and life. Whether virtual or tangible, these textures invite the viewer to touch the surface. He currently resides in Miami, Florida, USA.