Working/ Biographical Notes

Gonzalo -- Tena became interested in incorporating language fragments into his acrylic compositions during his year as Painter-in-residence at the Spanish Academy of Rome (September, 1999-June, 2000).� Tena had begun a series of bold abstract paintings when his initial working plan was disrupted by an unexpected introduction to the "profound thoughts of Gertrude Stein."� He began exploring Stein's texts at the library of the Centro Studi Americani (Center for American Studies), in a neighborhood near to his studio. Stein's writing soon became a kind of grand passion and Tena decided to begin a series of triptych collages in which he would group abstract and separately conceived panels --of both painting and photo-image--together with single words or phrases taken from the text of Stein's opera libretto, "Four Saints in Three Acts."� He connects his own cut-ups of Stein fragments, in the collages shown here, to the tiny cut bits of stone�or tessera�used in the re-assembled mosaics often found in ancient public Roman sites.� These works are based in abstraction yet carry suggestions of his sojourn in Rome.� "It is a happy coincidence, I believe, that contributed to my work--which came directly in relation to Stein's thinking."

Tena's collages were presented as a part of the Spanish Academy's culminating, year-end exhibit of work by Painting Fellows in Rome.� His work is shown in galleries in Barcelona and Madrid.