Rob Gonsalves Community Portrait Essay

The painting “Community Portrait” by Rob Gonsalves depicts a stereotypical community. The style of artwork, not particularly prevalent in this painting, which Mr. Gonsalves does is magic realism. This work shows the collection of various leaders of the town. Arranged on what appears to be a park or a village green, the individuals are deindividualized by the removal of their heads. It does’t matter who they are but rather how they fit into their community. This is evident by the positioning of the people according to how their place of work is situated in the town. The lack of individuation adds to the idea that all of them are a part of collective unit, a community if you will. The collection of people is symbolic of how community comes together to make up the town. The viewer is not left wondering what their face looks like but rather what their role is in the community as a whole.
From doctors to priests and judges to businessmen. Above their bodies lays the painting of where they work. A painter paints the details to a tree in the park. It is assumed from the fact that the tree appears to be an accurate continuation of the real tree in the painting that the buildings are in fact behind the canvas and the group of people. From this one is forced to assume the individuals are posing for the painting based upon how their building fits into the portrait. There are many individuals whose role is not too clear based upon their attire and respective building. One so person is standing in behind the doctor and the man in the grey suit, who appears to be part of big business. Based on the building and the attire of the individual it is possible that they are part of the banking system, an institution that is typical to most