Closing out the year on an enjoyable note an artist
from Puerto Rico and Savannah, Georgia has opened a small exhibition here in
Santa Fe. The show is at the new incarnation
of what was formerly the Jane Sauer Gallery, now called Tansey Contemporary
owned by Mike and
Jennifer Tansey. Jennifer comes from the
world of marketing and Mike is known in the art fair world as a majority owner
in Art Miami, Inc.
Last May we “discovered” Patrick McGrath Muñiz’s work at the Jane Sauer
gallery and were tipped off that there would be this show in December. Why in the world did we want to buy a
contemporary work of art on Canyon Road when we have been concentrating all
these years on our Native American collection with a smattering of New Mexican Hispanic
art. Since I always look for a reason I
decided that Muñiz was
legitimately Hispanic working in the
Spanish colonial painting tradition! I actually checked this out with a curator in
Denver who confirmed that this was correct.
When we met the artist at the exhibition
opening we learned that he was born in Puerto Rico and went to college there
but decided after he received his degree to visit
the States to meet his father for the first time in his home in Savannah, Georgia.
He then went for his Masters in Fine Arts to the Savannah
College of Art and Design.
As you probably already suspect the Hispanic and Spanish Colonial connection are
not the real reason we bought a painting, just an idea I played with to justify
our purchase. Obviously, we were taken
with the work. The artist is steeped in
the European painting tradition and has learned the Old Masters’ techniques. We found a mixture of originality and social
commentary on our life experiences.
The painting we own is a triptych titled “The Blessed Gamer”. The artist
explains the subjects as “The power and influence of games and guns in
America”. He does not depict shooters and dead bodies but rather a humorous
metaphor. The center panel appears to be a Holy Family but this Mary and Joseph
are a Hispanic immigrant couple praying for their son, a chubby blond boy
holding up a Gameboy in one hand and a handgun in the other. On the right wing St. Christopher carries a
rifle on his shoulder ostensibly to protect the pistol-packing infant cowboy. Do note the Pac
Man symbols on the bottom and the soft drink cup which says
“Super Big Gulp”. There is so much more
going on in this triptych as in all Munñiz’s paintings. I am hoping that my gloss on a few images
will tempt you to look further into the artist’s work.
The image of Saint Sebastian is called “Fire Arms
Nation”. The artist describes it as “an exploration of violence and the gun
culture in the United States”. There is
so much going on here that again one could devote several pages to describing
the painting both as the artist does or possible alternate interpretations. Beside the chained man to the left of St.
Sebastian, the figure of Christ bearing the cross to the right, and the
boy with a gun standing guard there is a television
set with bullet holes in it. The artist
says this is a comment on the violence on TV, an alternate interpretation might
be that the television’s
owner became tired of the mediocrity of the
media.
Do note the wonderful frames on the paintings. The simplest ones the artist makes himself
but he has found a master frame maker in Guatemala who does the more elaborate
ones in the colonial tradition.
Muñiz’s devotion to the Old Masters is even more
evident in two paintings: “El Papa”, the Pope and “La Papisa” the Popess.
Their source is found in Tarot cards. Tarot was a card game found in France and
Italy as well as other parts of Europe.
The first reference to the game is in 1391. The study of Tarot cards is a major endeavor
in its own right but suffice it to say that eventually the cards became
associated with mysticism and magic. By extension the cards were used for
divination, using signs to see the future and the unknown.
“El Papa” is inspired by the fifth card of Major
Arcana of the Tarot representing the Pope.
Also, Muniz is looking at a painting by José Campeche’s painting of St.
Clement. José Campeche was a Puerto
Rican artist who lived from 1751 to 1809. Muñiz leaves no stone unturned when it comes
to seeking knowledge of the past. If
only more artists would look to their predecessors and history then relate it
to the present. In this case the artist
is commenting on a world ruled by finance.
Note the coat of arms at the top with the initials WB (World Bank) and
IMF (International Monetary Fund) underneath, and on the right the
scales with the chained naked man on one side and the cash on the other far
outweighing him. So it goes throughout
the painting.
Underneath each of these pictures he has painted 3
small panels called a predella.
Traditionally, the predella served to show scenes from the life of the
Saint depicted on the principal panel. In
“El Papa” the predella shows St. Peter’s Basilica, representing religion and
wealth in the center and a begging woman and a begging man painted on the side
panels.
“La Papisa”, relating to the Tarot card by this name and
adapted from another colonial image, shows a female
Pope as the symbol of Woman’s Lib. To
drive home this fact Muñiz includes the
image of Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” on the laptop in front of the
Popess. The predella here is devoted to
women and many of their traditional depictions.
The show can be seen at Tansey Contemporary on
Canyon Road through January 31. It is not a bad idea to study up first at their
excellent website where you can
find the images from the show as well as the artist’s detailed descriptions of
his works and the symbolism therein.
Then see the show and find your own interpretation of the paintings.
This is a great article Gerald! Thank you so much! Just a little clarification: I was born in New York but grew up in Puerto Rico. Thanks again for this wondeful insightful blog!
ReplyDeleteYour blog has captured the essence of Patrick's approach which is a multifaceted expression of art, history and culture. As a collector and a past curator, i can attest to the authentic and consistant quality of his work. His talent transcends his. Fine tuned old master technical skills, using his own intellectual capacity to explore concepts and imagery. His series have included Vices, Virtues, Allegories, and many more. His comentary is profound,
ReplyDeleteand timeless. He is an artist bridgeing the past and future,