Saner’s works are heavily influenced by traditional Mexican customs and folklore. For Primitivo, the artist created lively portraits of characters wearing Nahuale masks reminiscent of those found on the streets of Mexico and according to legend, have the power to transform human beings into animals. Drawing from the visual culture of his everyday life, his paintings are a celebration of the local environment they originate from.
In Primitivo, Saner looks at our rapid urban development and questions the shift away from the natural world. Is modern wo/man really more sophisticated than our ancestors who were physically dependent on the environment? Saner asks the question: “We talk about primitive man as this tough guy, living in an elementary way only focused on basic needs. Modern man no longer has to hunt or provide in such a rudimentary way and yet more than ever we are faced with poverty and war. So are we really living in such a highly developed world?” He poses this question in brightly colored compositions on canvas, paper and wood, in hopes that they will generate change and guide viewers towards a mindset of oneness, as opposed to otherness.
