Nüart is proud to present a ground-breaking new body of work by Francisco Benitez. Known for his conceptual old master oils, Benitez discovered the ancient method of working figuratively with encaustic, exemplified by the Fayum portraits of Ancient Egypt. Working with this paintstaking process, Benitez forges compelling portraits and figures out of molten wax, often with vignettes and poetic texts embedded into the luscious surface. Although he is preoccupied with examining and recuperating the ancient Greek and Egyptian past through an art historical technique, his subject matter is totally contemporary and examines the individual psyche confronted with the angst of our technologically-driven, progress-oriented society. The title, Ut Pictura Poesis, a term coined by Roman author Horace, implies that the artistic image is interlaced with the threads of ethereal texts which poignantly construct a complex tableau representing perceptions of the world in which we live. Although Benitez has shown his encaustics extensively in Europe, this will be the first major solo show featuring them in Santa Fe.