Mare 139

contemporary art in his work is Carlos Rodriguez aka Mare139. Mare139, Carlos Rodriguez, abstrakt form, 41 x 30cm, bläck på papper, signerad samt daterad 2006 Text by Henry Chalfant One artist who has successfully incorporated the so-called High and Low streams of A veteran of the golden years of New York subway painting 1978-1983, Rodriguez began his art career wielding a spray can to do burners on parked trains under the cover of darkness. He learned to paint not in school but as an apprentice to older graffiti artists such as his brother, Kel First. You might think that the upper reaches of culture would have been inaccessible to a youth who was working in an outsider art medium, like graffiti, and living in New York City in a time of economic crisis. But even though the public schools had eliminated art and music programs, the city still offered a wealth of opportunities for a curious young artist to learn about art. In spite of its difficulties, New York was still a