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Write Around PAM: Gonzalo Fonseca

November 1, 2020
Two Figures with Still Life, Gonzalo Fonseca, 49 1/8 x 35 inches, oil on burlap. A vertical, rectangular painting representing two, geometric, abstract figures. The boxy figures take up most of the painting which is rendered in tones of gray with black outlining. The figure at left has a circle for a head with a small crescent shape positioned just to its left. Squared off shoulders lead into a rectangular body that disappears behind another tall rectangle in front of it. A thin, upright rectangle is positioned separately near the bottom left. At right, another figure has a boxy head and uneven square shoulders with a slim bit of straight body visible behind the rectangle in front of it. That rectangle has a triangular chunk taken out of its lower portion, perhaps suggesting a table leg. A dark gray, slanted square is positioned in its upper portion and contains three small abstract shapes. The figures and the table representation are a pale gray with visible brushwork while the background is rendered in deeper gray.

This Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020, is U.S. Election Day. We Oregonians fill out our ballots at home, return them by mail or by drop box, and then we wait. The results—the decisions we will have made collectively as communities and as a country—will likely have reverberations here at home, at our very own kitchen tables. With Gonzalo Fonseca’s piece as inspiration, we invite you to reflect on the place you call home. Is home where you gather with family and loved ones? Is it the table at which you break bread? Is it a house, a city, a country? What is home to you and what do you cherish about it?

We have two prompts to help you get started. As always, you can choose one, both or write whatever else comes. Set a timer for 10 mins and just keep your pen moving. Before or after you write, we invite you to learn more about Fonseca’s life and work.

This is the place where… / When I get home…

Writing in community is powerful. We are grateful to our longtime partner Write Around Portland for the writing prompts and inspiration. You can revisit past Sunday posts and look for continuing weekly posts through the fall. Please share your work with us! @writearoundpdx @portlandartmuseum #RespectWritingCommunity #WriteAroundPAM 

View the work in our online collection

Gonzalo Fonseca, Two Figures with Still Life, 1961, oil on burlap, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by The J.M. Kaplan Foundation, © artist or other rights holder, 63.1

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