Leonel Góngora: Drawings

Góngora created an alter-ego for himself he called The Secret Painter (El Pintor Secreto.)  It was based on the Spanish legend of the same name, a mysterious roaming stranger that would seduce virgins, paint portraits of them and leave without a trace.  He would often paint images of himself watching from a distance or even interacting with his subjects.  The device of The Secret Painter put a voyeuristic distance between the artist and his subject. He spoke of the eroticism of his work as representing the liberating life force inherent in humankind.  He said “Eroticism is life and rebellion, and that it is the answer to Death.” The Secret Painter is the elusive seducer coaxing the spirit to liberation from repression.