René Serrano Rodriguez Blog

Some other masks in my possession Passport mask Carved wood CIRCA 1980 24 X 16 cm RSR Collection This small mask carved from wood is called a passport mask.  I bought it in Liege Belgium in 2002 and since then i keep it. The  Passport mask  were traditionally carried around by the Dan People, kept in a leather pouch and are often miniature copies of a family mask, which used to be used as a form of identification. They were also often shown off to honor important visitors to the village. Most masks are carved to be similar to a specific family member or person of honor. When leaving the village to hunt or travel, they would carry passport masks as protective charms. The passport mask functioned as proof of one's position within it, which was useful when traveling to other villages. In time, passport masks became a form of tribal identification, each culture with their own distinct styles. The Dan or Mano-Dan are a Mande ethnic group from northwestern Ivory Coast and n...

" Self- Portrait at the Academy of Fine Arts"  # SP2026199801 Mixed media  W39 X H58 X Z27 Cm (W15 X H23 X Z11 In)  2026 While images of the self date to antiquity, the self-portrait emerged as a distinct and enduring genre in the mid-15th century. This period, fueled by the Renaissance ideals of individual identity and artistic mastery, saw creators like Albrecht Dürer systematically depicting themselves not merely as craftsmen, but as subjects of depth and introspection. From then on, the self-portrait became a vital medium for artistic exploration. It is a practice where the artist is both observer and observed, a complex dialogue conducted through brushstrokes, light, and composition. Masters across eras have turned the gaze inward: Rembrandt traced his own aging and soul across dozens of canvases; Frida Kahlo wove personal pain and cultural identity into iconic imagery; Vincent van Gogh used his own visage to master color and convey profound emotion. In the modern er...

The battle of evermore *TBOEM20250423 Mixed media / Canvas 200 X 140 centimeters (78 X 55 Inches) 2025 Like the world it seeks to depict, the art of the landscape has been utterly transformed through the centuries. Once a genre unacknowledged, it has journeyed to become the essential subject of some of the world's most enduring visions. This series traces that profound metamorphosis—not as a chronicle of style, but as an evolving dialogue between sight and insight, between the terra we inhabit and the terra we inscribe with meaning. Tropical observatory. *D20240801 Mixed media / Canvas 150 X 150 centimeters (59 X 59 Inches) 2024 The works presented here could be sites or fragments of an imagined society—utopian or rustic, perhaps deserted cities or bustling ones, depending on the viewer's own gaze. Tropical observatory *TO20250801  Mixed media / Canvas  200 X 120 centimeters (79 X 47 Inches)  2025 (Private Collection) Signs of life *SOL20251012  Mixed Media / Canvas...

Dame de Bruxelles *M20260110 Mixed media / Canvas 120 X 80 cm (47 X 31 In) 2026 The Off-Hours: This series emerges as a creative intermission—a deliberate shift from abstract painting toward the immediacy of figure drawing. Utilizing colored pencil and graphite over flat color planes, these portraits honor a lineage of formative mentors, idols, and friends who have shaped the artist’s visual vocabulary. Rather than standard likenesses, these figures operate as hypothetical icons positioned between authentic memory and fiction. Drawing from pop culture and art history, each portrait samples, layers, and remixes historical motifs with personal iconography. The restraint of the medium—minimalist, graphic, and direct—mirrors the spirit of a "holiday" or rest period: an unburdening of studio routine that makes room for play, homage, and spontaneous mark-making. Ultimately, the series acts as both an affectionate tribute and a study on how artistic influence is continually digested...