Tariq Gibran, Curator of Art & Exhibitions, Museum of Art – DeLand
Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso is an artist of impeccable skill with a deep love and knowledge of art history. In fact, Dellosso’s paintings almost seem to summon the ghosts of her favorite painters. Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Goya are all here. In one respect, Dellosso’s paintings are like a time machine, transporting us to a bygone era through rich luminous colours and delicate details reminiscent of the great European Masters. Yet, as we look deeper, beneath this veil of classical painting, we are immediately jerked back into the present and confronted with contemporary issues and ideas. The subject matter and narrative themes of Dellosso’s paintings are distinctly modern, imbued and imbedded with hidden metaphors that can only be fully discerned though her brilliant juxtaposition of past and present.
In her ongoing Homage Series, Dellosso explores women painters, many of whom did not enjoy the full recognition that their talent deserved during their own lifetimes and some of whom have still yet to be widely taught in Art History curricula. Dellosso portrays these artists by incorporating a self-portrait of herself within a painting that each respective artist did as a self-portrait. As such, Dellosso serves as a literal witness to each artist within her own painting and, of course, we as the viewer likewise become a witness of each respective artist portrayed. So, while in one respect, these are historical paintings, Dellosso has forced the collision of past and present by placing herself within each, thereby forcing us to re-examine and acknowledge each artist in our present moment. Her most recent painting in this series, a large scale oil titled A Surrealist Premonition, debuts with this exhibit and features the artists Leonora Carrington (British 1917-2011), Frida Kahlo (Mexican 1907-1954), Lotte Laserstein (Polish 1898-1993), Kay Sage (American 1898-1963), Dorothea Tanning (American 1910-2012), Meret Oppenheim (German 1913-1985) and Remedios Varo (Spanish 1908-1963).
Another subject Dellosso returns to over and over again is clowns. Clowns are almost universally either loved or hated. There is no middle ground. When we think of a clown, we typically only think of the persona, what we are meant to see, what we are shown – the happy clown, the sad clown, or even the scary clown. In stark contrast, Dellosso’s clowns are not one-dimensional; they are unmasked emotionally complex individuals that demand our empathy. Here also there is a sense that Dellosso is on a journey in this series to know as much as she can about who they really are underneath the greasepaint.
Among her most striking paintings in the clown series is Untitled, a large-scale painting depicting an ornately-dressed clown in repose position against the Manhattan skyline, the Twin Towers clearly visible in the background. Completed in 2003 but conceptualized before 2001, this painting is replete with symbolism and metaphors, which have clearly taken on even more meaning since the tragic events of 9/11. What are we to make of this perfectly still figure, buried in confetti and still wearing his big shoes and white gloves but with his clown veneer partially stripped away? And what of the fresh white flower that graces the hands of our serene, unmasked clown? Is this a symbol of sainthood, of purity or perhaps a symbol of resignation after a life of dutiful service? This painting, as in many of her others, embodies an unmistakable connection to Magic Realism. Here, a real place serves as the setting for what appears to be an almost supernatural, unexplained occurrence taking place right in front of us. Dellosso recounts “I currently live and lived at the time when I painted this work, in an area where you can see the Manhattan skyline and often on my walks, I would admire the fields of dirt and upcoming building sites. I thought it looked dramatic against the NYC skyline—so that is where the landscape originated. The construction cones just felt right.” Filled with narrative detail, this real-world setting becomes even more interesting upon learning that the artist’s childhood bedroom floor was covered in brightly colored linoleum, patterned with confetti and clowns. Dellosso says that “the stories in the paintings seem to unravel on their own. I can’t explain how it happens – it is almost a magical thing.”
Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso’s powerful, seemingly anachronistic paintings connect us simultaneously to past and present, creating a tension that forces us, the viewer, to recontextualize and re-examine our present – our now – through the lens of the past. Dellosso’s genius is that she allows, almost begs, us to strip away the surface layers and look behind the mask or façade. By doing so, we are immediately frozen by the gaze of her paintings, a witness left to contemplate and interpret what is before us; left to unravel the mystery and complexity of her subjects. One cannot simply and casually glance at a Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso painting. Her paintings demand our full attention. This is the pinnacle of narrative realism, where we, the viewer, are left to complete the story.
See The Paintings of Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso: A Retrospective at FWMoA now through July 14th, 2024.