Far-Flung Roots

On first impression, the weave of influences and ideas in the art of Barbara Mendes might seem to be of the strange bedfellows variety. Mendes’ intricately detailed and shamelessly colorful work, now at the Platt Gallery of the University of Judaism, explores her own roots in Judaism, the bright and pumped-up palette of African and Rastafarian art, and also the sense of community as a proud resident of downtown Los Angeles.

It all adds up to an explosion of color and idealism, whose very divergence of viewpoints underscores the upbeat, self-exploratory nature of the artist.

Her explorations extend from the present, as in her image of the civic matrix of the Pico-Robertson area in “Utopia,” to the past, as represented in the painting “Dona Gracia Mendes.”

A centerpiece of the exhibition, this large, looming portrait depicts the artist’s own ancestor, circa the 1500s, who helped Jews escape from the Inquisition.

Set against a map of Europe, she appears as a benevolent warrior, fending off oppression and tyranny.

In this show of Mendes’ work, scenes of Judaica include the dense thicket of references packed into “Olam the Zeh.” It’s a series of joined vignettes, in both urban and rural settings, suggesting a healthy tree of life.

Veering in another direction, she borrows the title “Change Gonna’ Come” from the old Sam Cook tune, and applies its sentiment of hope and recovery to the theme of homelessness in Los Angeles. In this long, horizontal image of a squatter village, though, despair yields to a sense of solidarity amid squalor. Psychedelic starbursts appear overhead, like hints of spiritual enlightenment. What could appear as so much post-hippie wishful thinking turns into a nice parable of what could be, thanks to the organic flamboyance of Mendes’ way with paint.

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BE THERE

“Dona Gracia Mendes and other paintings,” by Barbara Mendes, through Jan. 10 at the Platt Gallery, University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles. Gallery hours; 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun.-Thur.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Fri. (310) 476-9777 Ext. 203.