Biography

Bontempo's words describing this series, "They fall in the void with borrowed souls." 

Marcos' personality and emotional shifts have led him to create two separate bodies of work. During the day, Marcos draws and paints very refined landscapes which depict the surroundings of his daily walks. But rather than being vapid, they are stricking by their depth. During the night, he paints a whole other universe, that of a world filled with figures, each one like a scream coming out of a shadow on a theatrical stage. Each one of these figures is floating in space and has a life of its own, all reminders of ancient rituals, of ancestral beings, totems or polymorphic beings.

MARCOS BONTEMPO
Spirit-Filled Figuration

May 6 - July 2, 2022

Marcos Bontempo was born in Argentina in 1969. At the age of six, he went to live in
Spain with his family. Marcos now lives in Ronda, a city in the mountainous community
of Andalusia, Spain. Ronda is known for its beauty, its bullfighting and the important
creative individuals who found inspiration there. Rainer Maria Rilke wrote much of his
poetry in Ronda and kept a permanent room there. Ernest Hemingway, Orson Wells and
Ava Gardner summered in Ronda, sharing a passion for bullfighting and a friendship with
the famous bullfighter, Antonio Ordonez.
Because Bontempo periodically suffers from schizophrenic episodes, painting and his
connection with nature seem to be his best therapy. Marcos paints like he breathes;
sometimes naturally and other times, in fits and starts, driven by his anxieties and his
demons. Alone every day in his studio, haunted by the outside world, he creates very
personal and unique work. His exuberant brushwork and bold colors portray a floating
world of polymorphic beings – some human, others half human, half animal. His figures
communicate both psychological turmoil and hope, contorted in pain, yet vital in their
vigorous push towards freedom.
Using ink or acrylic paint in combination with salt and/or iron, Bontempo intuitively
orchestrates his transformative and expressive paintings. His dark palette of deep red,
ultramarine blue, golden yellow and black combined with the emotive gestural abstract
quality of his work call to mind renowned Spanish painters.
His work is in private contemporary collections in the U.S. and Europe.
Descriptions - All works are China ink, water oxide, rust, and salt on paper

 

MARCOS BONTEMPO
Spiritual Meanderings
Exhibition Dates:  February 14 – March 29, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday, February 14, 6:00 – 8:00 P.M.
Bontempo paints like he breathes, sometimes naturally and other times, in fits and starts, driven by his anxieties and his demons. Alone every day in his studio, often haunted by the outside world, he creates very personal and unique work. His exuberant brushwork and bold colors portray a floating world of polymorphic beings – some human, others half human/ half animal. His figures communicate both psychological turmoil and hope, contorted in pain, yet vital in their vigorous push towards freedom. 
Born in Argentina in 1969, Marcos Bontempo currently lives Ronda, in the mountainous community of Andalusia, Spain, known for its beauty, its bullfighting and important creative individuals who found inspiration there. 
Using ink or acrylic paint in combination with salt and/or iron to create his transformative and expressive paintings. Bontempo’s dark palette of deep red, ultramarine blue, golden yellow and black combine with the emotive gestural abstract quality of his work.