Tuesday, Apr 16, 2019

3:00 pm PST

William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art
160 Overton Court
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

For many, life along the Rio Grande border is fraught with ubiquitous violence and trauma. Gonzalez’s large-scale, graphic images reflect this aspect of the region in monumental scenes of cartel bloodshed, unrelenting wilderness, femicide, and intimate familial portraits. The artist depicts both perpetrators and victims with a cold clarity and the compassionate sympathy of characters in a Biblical epic. In Gonzalez’ paintings, victims may be innocent martyrs or culpable perpetrators fallen afoul of their cartel masters. He calls on the compositional devices of the European painting canon to present the complexities of this contemporary subject in a manner befitting the tradition of grand scale history painting as well as devotional narrative.

Painted in a Neo-Baroque style, these images are provocative and disturbing. They encourage the viewer to reorient their sense of the cultural center and reimagine implications from the perspective of those living along the US/Mexico border.

In this event, exhibition curator Joseph Bravo will provide a tour of this challenging and exceptional collection of works. A fine arts consultant and curator, Bravo has worked in art curation and education for over two decades. In his own words, “I have devoted my life and my career to learning, education and the interdisciplinary study of art and curation.” He currently leads the Bravo Fine Art consulting company, and has both written about and curated a number of exhibitions and events throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

For Bravo’s essay on the exhibit, including an interview with the artist, click here.