Afraid

“Revolution Narrative” captured Best in Show at Spectrum 2011, which closed May 19 at Rossetti Fine Art.

“When he sent me an image of ‘Revolution Narrative,’ I was very impressed,” says gallery owner Tom Rossetti. “I said, ‘Now that is the direction in which you should move.’ When I saw it in person, I knew that it was the best in show. Not only were the drawings sound and well-executed, but there were 25 of them drawn and painted on wood. There were nails, wire and mesh, all incorporated into the work. All of the pieces were politically charged with depictions of war and violence.

“Then, to top it all off, he assembled the pieces into a sculpture in the round,” Rossetti continues. “The piece stands over 5 feet tall and demands attention. This is what art is — pushing the limits of the medium, making a statement and taking risks.”

Art View

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/citylink/sfl-fresh-art-ernesto-kunde-20110608,0,3450526.story

After four winters of shoveling snow in Boston and a year of living inNew York, Ernesto Kunde and his wife moved to Miami in 2006 so they could soak up some sunshine and start a family. Two years later, Kunde, who’d been painting landscape and still-life images since 1990, began making children’s art. The brightly colored acrylic-on-canvas paintings, which depicted ladybugs, rubber ducks, teddy bears and other happy things, became one of his first ventures as a full-time artist.

Except for an occasional commission, the Brazilian-born artist no longer creates art for kids. Earlier this year, Kunde began producing considerably darker works, a shift he says was inspired by current events.
“Sin,” one of his first such paintings, was created for The Black Heart, an anti-Valentine’s Day exhibition at Rossetti Fine Art in Pompano Beach, and became the brochure image for the show. The mostly black-and-white work, created on wood Kunde rescued from a Dumpster, depicts a man hanging from a noose. Kunde says the painting represents a family man who couldn’t afford to pay the bills.

“Revolution Narrative” is a mixed-media sculpture in which the artist used acrylic and black and white charcoal on 25 panels cut from found wood to explore the danger, fear, violence, cruelty and pain some people endure for freedom. “Most of the panels connect to the revolutions in Egypt and Libya,” Kunde says. “Several of the panels depict riots in the street, the confrontation between rebels and ‘official’ military.”

One of those 25 panels, “Afraid,” depicts a bald man leaning forward, head in hands. A piece of wire mesh is nailed over the image, giving the impression that the man is imprisoned, perhaps by his own fear. Kunde says the image is meant to capture the anxiety and insecurity of people who are afraid to participate in a revolution.

“He wants a better way of life, but fears the consequences of acting,” Kunde explains. “What if he fails? We only hear or read about people who have acted, but there must be others who are struggling internally with what to do.”

Revolution Narrative

"Revolution Narrative"

While Kunde’s darker works are eliciting warm responses, the process of creating them can be intense. 

“Though ‘Revolution Narrative’ was shown as one piece, I think of it as a series,” Kunde explains. “I worked on it full-time for about three months. If you add in research, gathering materials, sketching and painting, it probably took over 300 hours. While working on it, I felt inspired and excited by the fact that I was trying something new. At the same time, I felt a level of intensity [from] following the news nonstop on a daily basis.”

Kunde has lightened up a bit, at least temporarily, with Tribute, a series he began painting in April. It combines the sunny colors of his children’s and landscape works with the black-and-white palette of his gloomier paintings to depict scenes from the streets of Miami. After shooting photographs that serve as a guide, he painted works such as “Lincoln Road,” “Pennsylvania Avenue” and “Causeway.” Parts are painted in black and white, while other sections are depicted in vibrant colors that depict sunlight and blue skies.

Kunde says his friends and family seem to prefer these more-accessible works. “My friends in the art world, on the other hand, have shown more interest in the darker ones,” he adds. “I guess some people like what I call pretty paintings, and other people are more interested in ones that are thought-provoking.”

Lincoln Road

Kunde plans to continue making both. “I’m excited about this new series, not only because it’s my first time focusing on Miami as a subject, but because I’m blending new techniques with my old style and signature use of bold colors,” Kunde says. “It’s my way of giving back to this place which has given me so much joy.”

“Afraid” will be on view in the 60th Annual All Florida Juried Competition and Exhibition, which will open June 29 and run through Sept. 11 at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Call 561-392-2500 or visitBocamuseum.org.