“Standard Oil” by Joan Belmar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joan (Joe-on) Belmar was born in Santiago of Chile. At the age of 24, he moved to Ibiza, Spain, where he began painting professionally. He came to the United States in 1999 and became a citizen in 2010. His original 3-D painting technique combines painting and collage with painted and untreated Mylar and acetate strips in circles and curvilinear shapes.
This piece, “Standard Oil,” references the notorious company founded by John D. Rockefeller that became one of the world’s first multinational corporations before it was ruled an illegal monopoly a century ago. The digital photograph was taken in 2005 for an exhibition titled, Where’s the Peace?, at The Warehouse Gallery in DC.
“It deals with societal hubris, identity, and greed,” Belmar says.
Recent Stories
