Harmonia Rosales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harmonia Rosales
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Rosales in 2021
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| Born | February 6, 1984 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Glenville State University |
| Known for | The Creation of God (2017 painting) |
| Style | Painting |
Harmonia Rosales is an amazing Afro-Cuban American artist. She was born in Chicago on February 6, 1984. Harmonia is known for her powerful paintings that often reimagine classic artworks with Black figures. Her art makes people think about who gets to be seen in art history.
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Harmonia Rosales's Early Life
Harmonia Rosales was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Giraldo Rosales, was from Cuba. Her mother, Melodye Benson Rosales, was an illustrator from Jamaica. Harmonia grew up following the Santería religious traditions.
When she was a child, Harmonia even modeled for the original American Girl Addy doll illustrations. Her own mother painted these pictures!
Harmonia Rosales's Artistic Journey
Harmonia Rosales studied Fine Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her art style uses bright, lively colors. Her paintings often mix Afrocentric ideas with classic European art.
Harmonia's artwork has been shown in famous places. These include the Museum of the African Diaspora and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Through her art, she talks about important topics. These include race, gender, and identity. She has become a strong voice in today's art world. She helps people learn about these issues. She does this through interviews, talks, and social media.
In 2017, Rosales shared a painting called The Creation of God. This was for her first solo art show. The show was named Black Imaginary To Counter Hegemony. This painting is made with oil paints on canvas. It took her two months to finish.
In this painting, Rosales recreated Michelangelo's famous work. That painting is called Creazione di Adamo. But Rosales's version shows both God and Adam as Black women. Her painting shows God as a Black woman. It looks like the heavens are a womb. From this womb, she is giving birth to Eve. This shows strength and power. This artwork was made to challenge the idea that only White people are shown in classic art. It makes viewers think about why this is so common.
Important Artworks by Harmonia Rosales
In 2017, Rosales showed her work at the Museum of Science and Industry's Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition. Her painting was called Innocence Lost. It shows her daughter. The painting talks about how children can be judged and labeled too early. This award encouraged Rosales to create more powerful art. She started to move away from just painting portraits.
In the same year, an art gallery in Los Angeles, Simard-Bilodeau Contemporary, started working with Rosales. They gave her her first solo exhibition. Creation of God was one of the paintings in this show.
Another important work was The Birth of Oshun. This is an oil-on-canvas painting. It reimagines Sandro Botticelli's famous painting, The Birth of Venus. In Rosales's painting, Oshun is shown. Oshun is a Yoruba goddess of fertility, beauty, and wealth. She is in a seashell, surrounded by Black angels. This is different from Botticelli's painting. His painting shows a White Venus, the goddess of love, in a seashell with White angels.
See also
In Spanish: Harmonia Rosales para niños
