Rob Gonsalves: His World of Magic Realism

So interesting to find an artist who combined Dali, Magritte and a bit of Escher into his own unique style. Rob Gonsalves, (1959-2017) did it and his works are immediately identifiable.

 

Some refer to his works as "surreal," but he felt they were more about "magic realism." The definition of the latter being "creating a realistic view of the world while adding magic elements." (It's often used in literature by writers such as Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.)

 

 

 

 

In any case, Gonsalves came to art as a child preferring to draw and paint over any other activity. He especially enjoyed drawing fantastical architecture. This interest would lead to a degree in architecture and work as not only an architect, but also as a trompe l'oeil muralist including stage scenes.

 In 1990, after the enthusiastic reception of his paintings at the Toronto Outdoor Art Festival, he decided to making painting his full-time occupation. It was a good choice as Gonsalves had successful shows throughout the United States and was represented by several galleries.

 His fame continue to grow and led to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, publishing his first book, "Imagine the Night." It was so successful that the publisher would publish his second book, "Imagine a Day." These were followed by, "Imagine a Place" and "Imagine a World."

 

 

In a life that seemed magically full of every success an artist could want, Gonsalves lived with a

 darkness that was unimaginable and perhaps, painful. He chose to leave 167 paintings and the books for all of us to enjoy the magic, but for him, he couldn't withstand the grasp of something overpowering.

Magritte: "Son of Man" and More

The blog today is about the surrealist, Rene Magritte (1898-1967). Even if you're not familiar with his body of work, I bet you've seen his famous "Son of Man" shown here on the left. It's been featured in ads as well as movies such as "The Thomas Crown Affair." In spite of the fame of this piece, most of us know almost nothing about him.

Magritte's upbringing was a difficult one. He was a Belgian native whose father was often down on his luck. Finances caused the family to move frequently. Magritte's early trials were made emotionally harder by his mother's many suicide attempts. She finally drowned herself when Magritte was 13 years old. (Legend has it that when she was found her dress was covering her face and that it led to the many faceless or cloth-covered faces in Magritte's paintings.)

When Magritte was 18, he went to the Academy of Art and studied for two years. He found the classic training boring and soon began to experiment with other techniques. Throughout his life, whenever he decided to investigate other styles, he'd always return to Surrealism.

Magritte didn't like to have realistic definitions given to the objects in his paintings. However, since "surreal" is a dreamlike or subconscious state, what do you think he's portraying in his paintings?

"LOVERS"

"GOLCONDE" (Goldone=a once great city in India now in ruins)

"PERSONAL VALUES"

"BIG FAMILY"

"PRESENCE OF MIND"