“The End of the Road” by Nelson “NEL” Figueroa, TPP April 2012 Limited Edition Print

It's finally here, hot of the printing studio April’s (Yes we are still behind schedule) limited edition silkscreen by artist Nelson “NEL” Figueroa.

The print is titled “The End of the Road” from his 2011 exhibition Childhood Files. This is a beautiful work that captures some of the problems and situations we are facing in the world daily literally and metaphorically. By literal I mean the visual meaning the print has regarding the global warming problem and how what human beings are doing is affecting other part of the world that most of us are unaware or have no way of solving. Here we can see a lonely polar bear which has drifted away in a glacier that got separated form a bigger chunk of Glacier and has now its protagonist stranded alone where he will be facing certain death. When this happens to polar bears they die because they can’t swim back to shore and drown trying or because they starve to death.

The metaphoric meaning is the individualism each men has on Its own only thinking for what’s good for them and not the world. Facing the world alone and Isolated as we once read in the book Insularismo by Antonio S. Pedreira. It’s a call to action so we can see we are doing it the wrong way and a form to make us visualize we must works as a unit or team to fix all the things we have wronged as individuals and as a the human race. It is a really simple but deep painting that shows the artists thoughts on the different things that are going on in his life as well as the world.

Nelson “NEL” Figueroa whom is known for his expressionist naïve paintings and drawings, will be beginning his MFA at Brooklyn College this next August and this painting might also be an indication of him moving to the USA and himself being the bear slowly moving along to an unknown destiny up North in the cold.

You can also read the piece as a political statement where the government knows what is happening and they just let it happen because of the monetary implications fixing the problem has and they just go on ignoring it just like education and peace. Fixing the problem means sanctions, fines and regulation laws against the very people who give them money to their political campaigns and give money to the law makers under the table so the laws don’t pass.  It is more profitable being at war and having uneducated people than it is to do the correct thing and educate people so they are aware and be more careful with their action.

The original painting is now part of the Museo de Arte e Historia de Arecibo as it was a partial donation from Puerto Rico Fine Arts, the artist’s Gallery and young collectors and art scene supporters Dr. Rolando Jimenez and Edna Colon.