It’s not at all new to see nude paintings in this modern era, and Marquez’s style certainly does not seek permission to depict the previously unaccepted. Uncompromisingly, he even made use of a seemingly uncomfortable undertone that is insistent on the erotic and the element of voyeurism.

Nude painting in itself gives prominence to the bare body, and provides an avenue to express emotions and beauty through tension and movement. With Marquez’s use of the muted tone for his subjects, he make every effort to feature even the light and the dark that peaks through the rawness of the moment conveyed in the canvas, precisely how they happen to be: an appeal for analytical scrutiny on the detail devoted to the body.

This confrontational style implores to shock its audiences. With the exhibition title “Don’t Take Me Wrong,” the artist, hence emphasizes that he pleads to intrigue on the emotional rather than sensual. He appeals on the emotions that pervade the medium tainted with a mood of deep worship on the nature of humanity through the unadorned human form.

This exhibition aims to pose a deeper challenge on the social ills conferred upon the prurient portrayal of the women’s and even the men’s form: what feeling does the show invoke and what are the nuances it attempts to deny?

-Karen Tesalona