MinerAlert
MinerAlert
Rigoberto A. Gonzalez was born in Reynosa Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1973 and resides in Harlingen, Texas. He earned his BFA in Studio Art at The University of Texas at Pan America in 1999, and his MFA in Painting at the New York Academic of Art in 2004. Gonzalez depicts the current violence in Northern Mexico in the Italian Baroque style characterized by contrast between light and shadow, active compositions, and emotion. The artist states, “As the situation in Mexico worsens and the images from the conflict became available I was stricken by how similar the images generated by the drug war (execution videos, beheading, arrest of cartel members) resemble Baroque paintings.” Darkness created style and meaning during the Spanish and Italian Baroque. It is indispensable for displaying various possibilities of light and for introducing an element of mystery and ambiguity. In Gonzalez’s work there are dark and cloudy skies. According to him the reason why he did this is because it creates a more turbulent atmosphere so that the viewers can sense the presence of the violence in Mexico. He states “...it’s of course a way of creating a deeper sense of drama, it helps in creating a turbulent atmosphere. There is the symbolism of the approaching storm…it equals an uncertain time.” His paintings show past and current violent events that Mexico is experiencing. They include such things as kidnapping, beheading, drama and hit men for the cartels. Gonzalez quotes the Washington Post “According to a recent Mexican congressional report, kidnappings have increased 317 percent in the country since 2005, and some 75 percent of abductions go unreported.”
"As the situtation in Mexico worsens and the images from the conflict became available I was stricken by how similar the images generated by the drug war (execution videos, beheading, arrest of cartel member) resemble Baroque paintings."
