Medellin’s Modern Art Museum hosts artworks by Colombian painter Beatriz Gonzalez in an exhibit titled “The Comedy and the Tragedy,” that points at the contradictions present within in Colombian society.
The collection is retrospective, showing over 200 of Gonzalez’s pieces from 1948 through 2011, and reflects on the changes in Colombian culture and politics over the years. Ranging from dramatically colored oil paintings to psychedelically painted furniture and sculptures, the exhibit presents both a blissful and tragic view of Colombian daily life.
“Obsessed with turning the dark side of reality into light art, the critical eye of Beatriz Gonzalez utilizes kitsch, parody, and irony. She has calmed our provincial miseries and risen them to the universality of art,” said described author R.H Moreno of Gonzalez’s work.
Many of her portraits and portrayals are inspired from photographs of dead bodies and political addresses that appeared on Colombian television and in newspapers, many visible in the glass cases located next to her giant, colorful paintings. Her contrasting mix of traditional imagery with artistic abstraction permits the artworks to both critically and playfully point at corrupt politicians and the tragedy of the Colombian armed conflict and its millions of victims.
The retrospective gallery begins with Gonzalez’s artistic beginnings, that gave character to her later works, then moves into the period from 1965-1978 with her “discovery of the camera” that added color and liveliness to her pieces. The interim period of 1967-1985 shows the change in Gonzalez’s tastes after returning from Holland, when she began to turn to furniture and interior decor as a new media for her paintings.
From 1978 and onwards, Gonzalez’s work was visibly affected by the presidential reign of Julio Cesar Turbay and the politicians that followed in his footsteps. Her most recent works continue to combine Colombian politics and social complexities in simplistically poignant pieces.
The exhibit will be held from now until March 4, 2012. The Museum of Modern Art is open Monday-Friday 10AM until 6PM, Saturdays 10AM until 5PM. Entrance is $4 dollars, with discounts available for students and seniors.
{japopup type=”image”content=”pics/2011/mphoto/pintura3.jpg” title=”The Comedy and The Tragedy by Beatriz Gonzalez”}
{/japopup} {japopup type=”image”content=”pics/2011/mphoto/pintura1.jpg” title=”The Comedy and The Tragedy by Beatriz Gonzalez” }
{/japopup} {japopup type=”image”content=”pics/2011/mphoto/pintura2.jpg” title=”The Comedy and The Tragedy by Beatriz Gonzalez”}
{/japopup}{japopup type=”image”content=”pics/2011/mphoto/pintura4.jpg” title=”The Comedy and The Tragedy by Beatriz Gonzalez” }
{/japopup}
