Published Oct, 25, 2024 in the Pasatiempo
Oil painter Brandon Maldonado draws inspiration from other artists’ evolution, singling out Pablo Picasso’s dramatic stylistic transformations in the early 1900s and the Beatles’ advancement from the broad-brush simplicity of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” to the intricate sonic palette of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”
Maldonado, known for his ornate depictions of saints in modern environments, has evolved inspirationally to the point where he’s ready to take on the most serious subject of all: the beyond. The results can be viewed in the artist’s Requiem, starting on Día de los Muertos (November 1) and ending December 2 at Hecho a Mano gallery. He will attend an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. on November 1.
Viewers likely will be familiar with New Mexico santeros’ influences in Maldonado’s work, but not the modern context. The saints in Requiem are shown amid contemporary catastrophes such as school shootings and the pandemic, while another painting addresses the threat of nuclear war. Greetings from New Mexico depicts the bombings of Japan in World War II, subject matter very familiar to those living in and near the closest metropolitan area to Los Alamos.
Yet another piece addresses the death of his dog Leroy last year, a longtime companion whose passing Maldonado still mourns.
“The Death of Leroy depicts an Indigenous woman holding my deceased dog,” the 44-year-old Albuquerque artist says. “Her hair is styled in a surreal manner evoking the look of an árbol de la vida, or tree of life, sculpture popular in Mexican folk art. It’s often used in Día de los Muertos ritual altars.”
Like his paintings, Maldonado has a lot to say about his work and the world. He answered questions from Pasatiemporecently; his replies are edited for length and clarity.
How did this exhibition come to exist?
I’ve done a lot of Day of the Dead pieces that are simply eye candy, just typical imagery like the Mexican big sombrero hat. When [Hecho a Mano owner] Frank [Rose] told me about the show in November, I stepped away from that work. It seemed like, wow, that’s a cool challenge; how can I do it in a different way?
Do you sense that Día de los Muertos imagery makes some viewers uncomfortable?
I think it’s embedded in people that when they see a skull, it’s something to be feared. I think that when you see my skulls, they’re more playful, they’re more embracing than something you get fear from. And you see that death isn’t so much to be feared.
Article here
Brandon's work can be seen here
Where do your attitudes toward death come from?
Maybe deep down, just by spending your whole life making art, you hope that someday it’ll live on. Maybe there’s this fear of death deep down in myself and other artists, and we search for immortality in that way. Also, a lot of it’s just the influence from Mexico. I go to Mexico usually twice a year.
How do those visits to Mexico affect your approach as an artist?
Through people like Joseph Campbell, who look at world mythologies, you see that the need to affirm death is a part of life. And that’s something that the people of Mexico did before the conquest; you have a lot of really gruesome stuff that happened with the Aztecs. At the same time, they understood the cycle, that from death comes life, and we need to have rituals that affirm that. And then there’s also such violence and brutality going on with the cartels. One piece is about cartel violence in particular. They’re constantly living around it, in fear.
How does it feel looking at your pieces on a gallery wall vs. in your studio?
At first, a lot of these pieces feel like failures, because the vision I saw in my head isn’t what they turned out to be. But once I’ve forgotten what my original vision was, I’m able to look at it just for what it is.
What artists or situations inspire you?
I’m a big fan of art across the board. Art that looks similar to mine, I tend to not really get much from it, because that’s something that’s already in my tool belt. Picasso, I think he’s great all across his career, from the blue period to the later stuff, where he’s really abstracting, and the Cubist works. I think when you look at artists like Picasso or Dali or the Beatles, what really attracts me is that every few years, they’re trying to reinvent themselves.
How does that admiration affect your artistic output?
There comes a point where you don’t want to just follow some formula. You want to let yourself get lost. There are different ways of being an artist, but that’s what keeps me excited. The 25-year-old me would probably think, ‘Oh, it’ll be easy to just make paintings your whole life.’ But no, it’s about keeping yourself excited. That’s part of the struggle.