On Tuesday, I learned about Paloma Montoya from Kim Lepe’s presentation. I learned that Montoya was born in California. Her mom is Columbian and her dad is Mexican. Montoya’s dad was not that involved in her upbringing. Montoya was primarily raised by her maternal grandparents and mom. As an artist, Montoya draws from her experiences around women and finds most inspiration from Frida Kahlo and street art. Montoya’s paintings have satirical elements but represents women in an empowered way.
One of my favorite paintings that was presented is called “Seeing Red.” This painting is also Montoya’s favorite in that it is very personal. This painting addresses Montoya’s experience growing up with anger and witnessing her father release anger in physical ways. In fact, Montoya needed to attend anger management because she used to get physical when expressing anger. This painting is evidence that Montoya is changing the way she manages her anger. Montoya can use art to cope with her negative feelings.
The aspect of “Seeing Red” that I find most interesting is that there is a single character portrayed who is giving and receiving punches. To me, this represents Montoya’s internal conflict with her anger in that when she throws a punch, she feels the impact of it emotionally. From this painting, I feel as though Montoya has a lot of shame surrounding her anger. However, I think art has become a therapeutic outlet for her.
“Seeing Red and More Art by Paloma Montoya.” Www.kunstmatrix.com, n https://art.kunstmatrix.com/fr/artwork/paloma-montoya/seeing-red?page=6.
Overall, I am thankful that I got to learn about Montoya and her story. I enjoyed viewing her art as it is aesthetically beautiful. Most notably, I enjoyed the transformation of art as a therapeutic practice. I think art should be utilized as a meditative practice more often. Montoya’s art is evidence that art has healing powers and I am appreciative that Kim shared her story.
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