Patrick McGrath Muñiz is from Puerto Rico and now lives in Texas. His current artwork is comprised primarily of drawings, “retablo” paintings, and tarot cards, inspired by one of the few personal items he managed to recover before Hurricane Maria hit his childhood home and studio on the island in 2017. The artist combines figures and icons from Spanish colonial iconography, American pop culture, and tarot, layered with personal myths and memories. His work reflects on the colonial roots of our consumer culture. Muñiz explains, “Adopting Renaissance pictorial techniques on canvas and ‘retablos’ reminiscent of Spanish colonial art allows me to emulate earlier indoctrination strategies and devices from the time of the conquest and colonization of the Americas.”

Muñiz obtained a BFA (magna cum laude) from the School of Fine Arts in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2003 and an MFA (summa cum laude) from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2006. His paintings can be found in the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, Albuquerque Museum, Spanish Colonial Arts Museum in Santa Fe, and the Mesa Contemporary Art Museum in Mesa, Arizona.

patrickmcgrath-art.com

Inspired after Arcana 1, El Mago

Epiphany is a festival commemorating Three Kings Day, January 6. This painting is a personal interpretation on the theme of the Magi. The artist, Patrick, and his brothers Cesar and Michael pose as Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar. The walking staff, bell, and lantern held by Cesar, as Melchior in the middle, can be seen in The Hermit card of the Tarot, and the bell and staff were once by the artist’s studio door; the key around his neck is to the door lock. A jellyfish-like object floating in a starry sky refers to one of his many visions. Michael as Caspar holds a book, one he is writing, of family stories. As Balthazar, Patrick carries a dog, their loyal companion Yo-yo. The houses behind are places they grew up, representing points of origin and departure. A blue car and yellow digger below represent progress, moving forward. An airplane above represents the brothers’ past dreams and aspirations. On the predella below are four symbolic animals, which are astrological in nature but also represent the four evangelists. The bull is associated with St. Luke and the sign of Taurus, the lion with St. Mark and Leo, the eagle with St. John and Scorpio, and the man with St. Matthew and Aquarius.

The white lamb is inspired by Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) in Christian iconography and accompanied by the signs of Aquarius and Cancer, aspects of the characters above. Two pillars sustain a frieze containing two howling dogs that appear in The Moon card. They are also linked to the water sign of Cancer. On the pediment above, an open, serene eye floats within thinly drawn Alpha and Omega (beginning and end) symbols. These are surrounded by the Sun, Moon, and stars, heavenly bodies that transcend the corporeal world. Two small pillars frame a golden coin containing the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The white dove symbolizes the Holy Ghost. With the all-seeing eye above, they become allegories to the Holy Trinity, reverberating in abstracted form from the souls of the literal figures on the terrestrial plane below. The gold and turquoise extended wings derive from ancient Egyptian art. They represent the protective wings of goddess Isis and her ability to resurrect the dead. The VHS and audio cassettes are reminiscent of the past and recorded memories.

“Epifania is about resurrecting past memoirs and keeping them alive through the magical act of art. It is about finding deeper connections with the divine and how it can manifest in our daily experiences while honoring the memory of those who are no longer with us in the flesh but transcend to a higher spiritual realm to guide us.”

                                                      – Patrick McGrath Muñiz