CURATOR’S COMMENTS

Seattle-based Latino painter John Andro Avendaño (b.1959) in his first solo exhibition in Seattle, presents a powerful body of recent work dedicated to anti-violence. Comprised of fifteen vibrantly colorful paintings in oil/mixed media on canvas and panel, they visually form a refutation of the violence we’ve repeatedly witnessed as a nation and a world.

“I grew up Hispanic, born in Arleta, California, and rooted in East Los Angeles. Daily, I was either in the shadows or lived adjacent to, violence” Growing up in East LA, Avendaño's mother, Anastasia Orozco Avendaño, reminded him of the importance and need for family. She often spoke of her great uncle – one of the “Big Three” Mexican Muralists, Jose Clemente Orozco (1883-1949). “Historically, he faced political turmoil, violence, and anti-violence movements. But rose above all the chaos and became a steward of his gifts.”

Avendaño, who just turned 63 in June, has been an artist all his adult life and he brings that creative experience and maturity to this dynamic show of paintings. As the theme behind these paintings began to evolve in the artist’s mind, John – a former gun owner and target shooter, ironically turned to the paper targets in his files. Personally, I initially found this to be not as much a refutation of violence but a visceral reminder of it. But as I frequently say “Find great artists and get out of the way.” Using a razor blade, Avendaño began deconstructing the targets into various random shapes, literally destroying their original purpose for the former target shooter and reimagining them as the artist. These then became the foundation of each painting. Sometimes they’re obscured entirely by his colorful palette and at others, they peek through the paint to remind us of the human cost of violence in every form. Avendaño transformed these bits of paper – visceral symbols of violence into profoundly emotional and beautiful paintings of “anti-violence”; each a stunningly visual metaphor of the paradox which is man.

This gallery’s programming has always revolved around the history of art, specifically the 20th century, and every contemporary artist living today is essentially standing on the shoulders of those who came before them. Avendaño was deeply influenced by the Mexican muralists – particularly his great, great uncle, Orozco – and both European and American Modern. Much of the work ranges from figurative expressionism (Homage To Ukraine, Silent Witness, Red Mass) to Surrealism (The Guardians, Prophet) to pure abstraction (Then The Fog Lifted, Symphony For Kyiv).

I’m fond of a quote attributed to the late British arts writer/critic, Kenneth Clarke. When praising an artist of particular accomplishment and skill, he’d describe them as “many men thick”; meaning an artist who’d absorbed the work of those who came before them and consolidated those influences into a singularly personal vernacular. One might find the subtle DNA threads of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Max Ernst, pre-action painting Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Orozco, David Siqueiros, or others in a favorite painting but these are unmistakably John Andro Avendaño – an artist “many men thick”.

Frederick Holmes, July 2022

Frederick Holmes and Company

Gallery of Modern & Contemporary Art

For further in formation, contact the gallery: 206 682-0166 or info@frederickholmesandcompany.com