Leidy (2025), acrylic on burlap, 48 x 36 inches. All images courtesy of Jose Lerma and Nino Mier Gallery, shared with permissionSparse Brushstrokes Give Rise to Thick Impasto in Jose Lermas Minimal PortraitsMarch 13, 2025ArtGrace EbertWhen Jose Lerma encountered Reception of the Grand Cond by Louis XIV by Jean-Lon Grme at the Muse dOrsay in Paris, he found himself drawn to the figures tucked far behind the crowd. Known for his meticulous realism, Grme rendered these small characters with minimal brushstrokes, a decision that has influenced Lermas work for more than a decade.Exaggerating the sparse quality of the figures, Lerma (previously) paints portraits in wide swaths of acrylic applied with brooms and industrial tools. The new works retain the contrasts of earlier pieces as well-defined strokes sweep across the burlap to form heavy, impasto ridges. Yamila (2025), acrylic on burlap, 72 x 48 inchesAt Nino Mier Gallery in Brussels, Lermas new solo exhibition Bayamonesque presents the culmination of his current style. The title references his upbringing in Bayamn, Puerto Rico, and how we think about resemblance. Painting both real subjects and manufactured characters, the portraits reference those who might otherwise be relegated to the background, stripping down their likeness to only whats necessary. Vacillating between figurative and abstract, the compositions are what Lerma refers to as the summary of a portraitThe abstract painter in me is, above all, drawn to certain people for specific features that can be broken down to their bare minimum as paintable elements: an expressive cowl, a striking nose, a distinctive shape of lips.Bayamonesque is on view from March 14 to April 17 in Brussels. Find more from Lerma on Instagram.Celimar (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesLeda (2025), acrylic on burlap, 72 x 48 inchesClarisa (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesFelo (2025), acrylic on burlap, 24 x 16 inchesIsmaela (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesRania (2025), acrylic on burlap, 32 x 24 inchesFernanda (2025), acrylic on burlap, 24 x 16 inchesLisi (2025), acrylic on burlap, 48 x 36 inchesNext article