Easy Ride

“Easy Ride” (2015) is modeled after the much larger work Jorge Blanco created for a recreation center in Park City, Utah in 2013. His moon-faced characters are in yellow, a color associated with happiness, spontaneity and sunshine, while the bicycles they ride are in a red, a color associated with activity, drive, and vigor. Once again, Blanco’s ability to convey movement even in static forms is apparent, as the two figures hunch over, feeling the wind in their non-existent ears, their legs pumping furiously. The spokes of the bicycles are unseen, and the forks, seat stays, and top tubes seem to float in mid-air, indicating the blur of the space within the wheels as they race each other at top speed. The name “Easy Ride” reflects the clever sense of whimsy Blanco always projects in his work, as the figures tirelessly travel forever in their frozen stance.