ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Ernesto Kunde

Born in southern Brazil, Ernesto Kunde began to explore his passion for art at an early age. Growing up in Rio Grande do Sul, he was inspired by the scenic, pastoral surroundings and used whatever resources he could find to paint. At the age of 21, Ernesto left southern Brazil to study in Germany. Upon his return to Brazil, he dove into his passion for painting and began formal instruction in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS). Since then Ernesto has lived and worked in Goias (northern Brazil) and the United States, where he moved in 2001, with sojourns in Beverly, Massachusetts, New York City, and Miami, Florida, where he currently resides with his wife and two children. In each locale, Ernesto has continued to pursue his interest in painting, building his portfolio and studying at the North Shore Community College, the Cooper Union, the Art Center of South Florida, and the Miami Art League, respectively.

Ernesto has explored various media and subjects in his work.  His body of work includes urban and pastoral landscapes, seascapes, still life, and human subjects.  Ernesto predominantly uses acrylic on canvas, but he has also experimented with oil, watercolor, coffee pigment, and alternative surfaces such as found wood.

Ernesto’s recent works reflect his diverse talent.  The artist, himself, explains: “I go in phases. I’m always influenced by what’s around me.  Over the past three years, my work has evolved in a dramatic way.  Traditionally, I have painted more abstract and landscape paintings, using acrylic on canvas.  Vibrant colors have been my signature.  Recently, I went through a phase of focusing on political events and darker themes, using charcoal on found wood.”

Ernesto received Best in Show in the Rossetti Fine Arts “Spectrum 2011” exhibit for a piece called "Revolution Narrative.”  This piece is a mixed media grouping of twenty-five 11" wood panels that were meticulously drawn on with pastels, chalk and paint depicting current politically charged images.  All of the panels were then assembled into a five-foot cylindrical sculpture.  Gallery owner Tom Rossetti described the piece as “Amazing! I told the artists that this is a career-defining piece that is worthy of any museum in the world.”

Ernesto is currently working on a Miami series using a new technique while merging signature styles of earlier periods.  Explains the artist: “Regardless of the theme or medium, I always try to convey an intensity of emotion in my work.”

Ernesto’s work is in private collections in Brazil, in Sweden, and in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina.  He has had public exhibitions in galleries throughout south Florida as well as a recent museum appearance.