Recently I was able to sit down and speak with Mr. Papantonakis about what his latest exhibition was trying to convey to the world at large. In the handsomest of accents, and in the most genuine manner, he said, “Life and how music is in everything we do”. Mr. Papantonakis went on and explained to me how important music has been to him all his life. For him, music is an interpreter of emotion, a social beacon, and a liberator. Each piece that Mr. Papantonakis painted for this exhibition was created with the purpose of showing the world how music impacts his life as well as how music can be so much more that an audible sensation, it can also be a visual sensation.

Four pieces in particular are highlights of this show, in that they are able to not only share the artist vision of visual music, but they also employee design, energy and emotion in their composition.

The Homage to Vivaldi’s violin concerto “The Four Seasons” (which is aptly named The Four Seasons, mixed media on canvas 24"x24”) perfectly embodies Papantonakis’s aim in this exhibition of showing visual music. This piece also breaches the gap between art and design that so many artists fall short of.

Another homage piece in this exhibition is “Estrella Flamenca” (mixed media on canvas 30"x40”). Created to honor a Latin American female composer, Papantonakis uses music sheets that contain her music as the background of this work (As a matter of fact this technique of laminating formal music sheets on canvas is Mr. Papantonakis’ signature effect). He then paints a Jackson Pollock like picture over the laminated sheets, creating this conflict between formality and informality, between order and chaos, between active and inactive energy. This piece is explosive in its quiet revolution of conflicting paradigms.

The emotional power of music for Mr. Papantonakis is displayed in two larger canvas paintings. The first one called “U.S.”(mixed media on canvas 68"x58”), which depicts the social problems humanity is experiencing, while at the same time all of these problems are captured on the canvas with in a guitar shape. Seemingly this is meant to express the overall “song” of which we are a part. Also to stress the point of the influences of music and its social importance, Papantonkis incorporates lyrics from Lennon and Dylan into this painting. The imagery alone is powerful, especially the image of the blue eyed woman in a hijab wearing an "I love NY” pin. This image is profound, and enables the viewer to have a completely different perspective of a scorned cultural costume. And while “U.S.” reminds us of the horrors of war and mankind’s hopes and fears, the piece entitled “Marilyn" (mixed media on canvas 54"x24”) is a journey into the shadows of primordial fear and power. Mr. Papantonakis explained to me that he had painted this picture after having seen a Marilyn Manson concert. A large ominous skull and dark symbols emerge from the darkness, while Manson’s lyrics of despair and sadness haunt this painting.

Overall, Gonzalo Papantonakis accomplishes his goal to transfer the emotional and social significance of music to the canvas for us to interpret. We interface with familiar symbols, which transport us to memories which popular culture has made a common bond for all of us to share in. Papantonakis is a force to be reckoned with, and I will forever be grateful for being able to experience music with my eyes.

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