Statement on "La Sabia": Un Homenaje a Doña Antonia Compean Gonzales

"Doña Antonia, the central figure, was my friend Javier Gonzales' mother. She was a fixture in the Pilsen community here in Chicago where Javi and I grew up. She had run her own beauty salon on 18th street for many years, and was a very beloved member of the community.

In recent years her health had taken a turn. She was in her 90's already, and Javier had become her full-time caretaker. He doted on her, as a good son will, catering to her every need. Whenever Javier would travel to Mexico, he would buy his mom traditional style blouses, which she would wear daily.

When I had gotten this commission to paint the mural, I talked to my collaborator Jaqui, and suggested that we use Antonia as our our main subject, being that the theme was senior citizens. She liked the idea, so we mixed our styles together, my figurative work combined with Jaqui’s Mexican inspired patterns.

So I had Javier take pictures of his mom with her hands cupped in front of her. Doña Antonia became my muse. She had such a beautiful indigenous face. She was more than happy to oblige us, and she posed for numerous photos.

In her hands I painted the Planet Earth, representing the next generation and all of humanity. Our mothers and grandmothers have always served as the “glue” that holds families together, the daughters, the sons, the grandkids, the nieces and nephews. It is the matriarchs that maintain those family bonds.

Sadly, not long after we took the pictures for the mural, Doña Antonia passed from this earth. We had not yet finished the mural, so I decided that we should dedicate the mural to her. We added some cempasuchil flowers around her, the traditional Mexican flowers of the dead. Our mural then became more of a “tribute wall”, an altar of sorts, dedicated to her memory.

We needed to get this artwork done. This is the Midwest after all, and weather was getting colder, so I asked my homeboy and fellow artist David Orozco to come in and help us finish up. We knocked it out in no time.

Once we were finished, Javier came by the mural to have a look at the mural of his mom in person. He was very moved. I was moved as well. It was such an honor for me to have had the privilege of getting to paint this image."

 

Located at 4803 North Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60603.

 

More About the Artist:

Robert Valadez

Jacqui Almaguer