In a crow-quill sketch for this self-portrait, a memento mori (Latin for “remember that you must die”), the artist looks downward in contemplation, his fingers loosely touching his mouth. Shadowing Muñiz, the Grim Reaper, a friendly hand on the artist’s shoulder, gazes at the artist’s mental machinations and demons. Muñiz’s young son, with cherubic wings, stands with his small hand on his father’s forearm. The boy’s direct gaze dares the viewer to challenge the power of hope. The more formally composed final painting, The Guide, shows the artist with his son on his lap, both challenging the viewer. The boy holds a stuffed lamb and security blanket that symbolize innocence, new hope, new life. The symbols and archetypal images surrounding them allude to consumerism, cultural traditions, popular icons, and the artist’s life experiences. A ruled grayscale palette in front of the artist is a metaphor for the nonduality of life and the subtle changes one experiences from birth to death. Muñiz speaks of an awakening: “Death can also serve as a guide to live better lives. . . . [We are impelled to] be more appreciative of what we have and the people we love. Patrick McGrath Muñiz, The Guide, oil and metal leaf on panel, 36” x 30”
PATRICK McGRATH MUÑIZ
“. . . When painting with the heart, one comes to understand the things that really matter in life and in art.
Since 2006, the artwork of Patrick McGrath Muñiz has been intellectually “Countless unnecessary consumer products and superdriven to explore social and environmental injustice and indifference, “link- fluous digital devices with their constant stream of data ing Christian iconography from Spanish colonial times to the propaganda of distract and distance us from knowing who we really are.” modern-day American consumer culture.” The artist’s work became more fiercely personal as hurricanes, their strength and frequency amplified by climate change, destroyed his family home in Puerto Rico and damaged his own home in Houston. His recent losses of family, friends, and mentors, in combination with the forced isolation of the pandemic, brought Muñiz to a deeper understanding of the artist’s place in the world and his own reasons for making art. “I’ve learned that painting with the heart is much more challenging than painting solely with the mind. I’ve come to the realization that to know thyself is a crucial key when I paint.” In the painting The Guide, Muñiz’s grief for what he has lost emerges as a visual reflection of the fragility of life on this planet. Patrick McGrath Muñiz, The Guide, Study ink on paper, 10” x 10” E VO K AT I O N
SEPTEMBER 2021
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