San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

The Madonna as Muse:
The Paintings of René Alvarado

The Madonna as Muse features San Angelo artist René Alvarado with work spanning from 2003 to 2008. The exhibit was curated by Jim Edwards, one of the nation’s leading curators of contemporary art. Edwards chose 25 paintings, Alvarado’s most mature paintings to date, that use the mystical image of the Madonna to express the artist’s inner feelings as well as honor many of the influential women in the artist’s life --his mother, grandmothers, sisters, and Eva Tucker, his San Angelo patron. RENÉ ALVARADO, La Novia del Pavo Real, 2003, oil on canvas, Collection of Judith Taylor

Born in 1972 in the small village of El Manantial in northern Mexico, René came to San Angelo at the age of 10 with his parents, five sisters and two bothers. He had an early interest in art, which his family encouraged, and which enabled him to adapt to his new life in Texas without losing sight of his early upbringing in Mexico. “I have come to realize that my work is defined by my familial roots in northern Mexico and by the subtle, challenging, and mystical environment of my adopted home in West Texas. My creative process is immersed in this dual identity; I paint what I feel, that which is me, and my surroundings,” writes the artist.

René graduated from Central High School, went on to study art in San Antonio and returning to San Angelo, maintained a studio at the Old Chicken Farm Art Center for many years. Today he has a successful career as an artist with gallery representation and exhibits across the country. Several years ago he purchased a former neo-gothic Lutheran church in San Angelo which he transformed into a beautiful artist studio and residence. This white-washed sanctuary studio only heightens one’s sense that as an artist, René is in the throngs of a spiritual quest that he will pursue for many generations.

In addition, René will install a Day of the Dead shrine in the smaller of the museum’s upstairs galleries, honoring the memory of his patron and friend, Eva Camuñez Tucker. Eva Tucker, who passed away in June 2007, is one of San Angelo’s best known supporters and community leaders, who generously provided charitable gifts to area churches, social agencies and educational groups. Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos), is the famous Mexican ritual celebrated annually on November 1 and 2 throughout Mexico and Hispanic communities across the U.S. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. Today, Mexican-style Day of the Dead festivities have spread around the world, including to Europe and New Zealand.

The Museum is deeply grateful to Jud Gray for his gracious sponsorship and for the support of Judy Taylor of Gallery Shoal Creek, Austin, TX.

René Alvarado
My Thoughts on the Madonna as Muse

"I have come to associate my Madonna paintings with the traditional sense of pride of Mexican women - my grandmothers, my mother, and now sisters. Each one speaks straight from the heart and with such poetic nature! They are colorful, yet mysterious. Their language is often silent but can be heard through their actions. They are hardworking and devoted to their families. They are instinctively primitive in thinking, yet wise and aware of themselves and others. They are the women of El Manantial - women who through the generations had to grow up fast, but never lost their passion. They are the women that ignited my passion for painting. They are the beginning, the middle and the end of my creative process.

Through the years of developing a path within the art world, the Madonna will continue to unfold. As the stories reach different phases in life, so do my paintings. She has become my muse, and equally important as my landscapes, seascapes, and still-lifes. She is as important as the paint I mix and the brush I hold. I often say the canvas is her stage, and the metaphors and symbolic language I've developed to express, is her voice; but always, just a moment in time.

In this exhibition, you will see fragments of a special journey. The Madonna interacts within nature, and other mythical characters like the bull, the dog, the fish, or a simple flower. It all comes together like a puzzle when you enter my home/studio. Here, you get an introduction to my world, voiced by the disquieting serenity of her face. Of course, there are different layers to my process. The Madonna is an important one, although not all of who I am in my creative path. She is a place in my heart that I revisit, and I am always curious for the next painting to unfold her story.

I am proud, and extremely honored by the selected works by curator, Jim Edwards. I had no idea what he would select considering the many images and directions from my body of work. He could have chosen differently, but I feel it's appropriate to reintroduce myself through this powerful body of work. It is like having a family reunion, and viewing pieces of my life that were once a moment in front of the canvas."