Susanna J Coffey on Amadeo Morelos

In her engaging essay on Providence, Coffey elucidates the striking and historical subject matter of Morelos’s vibrantly coloured artworks. Coffey investigates Morelos’ unusual presentation of the mythological Greek hero, beginning her essay with a series of humorous questions that consider how the hero might appear in today’s world. She asks, “What could those far-famed Olympian gods, demiurges, and champions be up to these days? Where did Hercules Invictus, Phoebus Apollo, Zeus the Thunderer and their crew go after being driven from their mountain by hordes of Gore-Tex-clad backpacking tourists? Resting on laurels, donning the old lion skin, strumming a harp, drinking a can of C4 instead of Ambrosia maybe?”

Coffey goes on to convey the nuanced nature of Morelos’ artworks, which depict these famous heroes in all their musclebound glory. Yet, these images seem equally to portray a sense of identity in crisis. Coffey highlights, “Yes, Amadeo is bringing us into a world of mythic champions, but no one here seems particularly valiant. Rather they seem bemused or confused about the role each has been cast into.” As such, the writer illuminates the complexity of Morelos’ chosen subject matter, which presents us with a new side to these mythicised heroes, a side that is both comical and vulnerable. In this way, Morelos’s work perhaps speaks to more contemporary perceptions of traditional views of masculinity. Coffey continues by exploring Morelos’ striking use of colour and how it enhances the nuanced presentation of his figures: “His palette is a hot, saturated one. Not cool marble-white, the bodies of Hercules, Apollo, Bacchus, are brightly hued. These musclebound guys are colored sweet, hot red or fleshed like a rainbow. The stars of this show are big and brawny, but their strength seems questionable.  Sensuous paint renders them luminous, multicolored and seemingly soft-skinned.”

The writer also sheds light on some of Morelos’ inspirations behind the sculptural works presented in Providence, citing influences such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Clodion. Moreover, Coffey conveys how Morelos’ hometown, Morelia in Mexico, provided him with rich visual inspiration: “Growing up in Michoacán, he was surrounded by fountains, paintings and statuary created by artists of the Mexican Baroque period like Miguel Cabrera and Cristóbal de Villalpando.  In the parks and churches of his home town of Morelia the artist would have often passed by these narrative, often polychrome sculptures that reference cultural, often religious narratives.” However, as Coffey succinctly points out, even though Morelos’ works offer visual clues to his many stylistic influences, they are never derivative. Instead, they remain intimate, original and profoundly personal.

Scroll down and click the link to read Susanna J Coffey’s essay on Amadeo Morelos’ exhibition in full.