Series Spotlight - Dan Monteavaro
Deftly jumping between public murals and traditional painting, Puerto Rican-American artist Dan Monteavaro, aka Moncho 1929, is increasingly known for his wildly imaginative works. Born in the South Bronx, Monteavaro watched the NYC graffiti scene explode during his formative years, an experience that would shape his future use of movement and self-expression.
“Motion, and the suggestion of motion, are first and foremost,” Monteavaro has said. With its emphasis on movement and color, the artist’s work focuses on recreating the visceral excitement he felt upon discovering city murals for the first time. Monteavaro’s public works rely on easily appreciable geometric shapes and color gradients, while his paintings combine opposing images that create new dialog from disparate threads of cultural thought. Today, Monteavaro’s work can be found in multiple city, corporate, and private collections. Most recently, his work became part of The Figge Museum’s permanent collection, The Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art and was included in the juried BP Portrait Awards for The National Portrait Gallery. Dan Monteavaro currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
The Chimeras that Moncho 1929 creates offers a poignant reflection on the contemporary global relationships and the artist forces his audience to confront their own judgements as they attempt to classify his subjects. His work actively accentuates how the unique and unconventional features that make one stand-out as different, in reality make them truly remarkable. Monteavaro adds...
Razzmatazz
"This work is a direct reference to a candy shop and touches upon my first memories of consumerism and advertising in relation to childhood memories. At the time the impact was far from obvious, but the memories are present, even if worn down a bit and carried on a childhood toy."
Soliloquy
"This work is an interpretation of a still life and in a loose form of a vanitas painting reminding the viewer of the transience and triviality of mortal life. While the colors are heavier and deeper than some of the other works in the series, the work is meant to have a subtlety and a sense of calm. The juxtaposition of beginnings and endings, and growth and decay bring a balance of the two that symbolize life in general."
Seahorse
"In "Seahorse", there is a surreal and very intentional sense of floating. The figure holding a cloth over her mouth, a reference to holding breath while underwater, can be seen as swimming through life purposely and delicately. The calm and poise of the woman with the galloping of the horse carry a sense of strength and purpose."
Superheroes
"The inspiration for this work plays with the idea of masks and how the masks we sometimes wear says more about how we see ourselves. The perception of identity is inherent to the narrative of the work and plays with childhood iconography and has a bit of a tongue and cheek nature in its playfulness. The horses add a sense of held in motion and insecurity, while also touching upon a sense of wild playfulness within the figures."
This new series of limited editions, measuring 34 x 44 inches, are printed on Hahnemuhle paper using our exclusive Gouttelette® process; These are of exceptional quality with remarkable colour saturation and continuous tonal characteristics. Each edition of 75 is hand numbered, stamped and accompanied by a certificate signed by Dan Monteavaro himself.