A Day’s Labor: Portraits by John Sonsini

Already an accomplished portrait artist and figurative painter, John Sonsini (b. 1950 Rome, NY) turned to painting hispanic day laborers found outside his studio, “Anyone who’s out on the street in the middle of the day looking for work, yes, that’s my kind of person, because that’s what I was doing at that age.” For many years he focused solely on painting his partner and collaborator Gabriel Barajas (b. 1973 MIchoacan, MX) until one day Gabriel suggested looking for other models among the men waiting for work on the streets.

The body of work developed from this practice display a sincere earnestness and connection between painter and subject. Models are depicted against a plain background, in the clothes they wore for work that day. Sonsini paint in a loose gestural style, as if he’s trying to paint fast enough to capture what he sees in front of him, before it’s gone.

There is a strong tradition of painting the working class, from Van Gogh's paintings of field workers, to George Bellos depictions of early 20th century inner city New York. Sonsini continues this tradition by focusing on the contemporary working class. It is impossible to ignore the social ramifications of his work, especially in this time of anti immigrant rhetoric. By hiring immigrant laborers of the street and bringing them into the gallery, Sonsini is making an often marginalized presence visible. Still Sonsini avoids any overt political messages, instead leaving that up to the viewer “Sometimes I try to recreate a facial expression, or bodily gesture, but I try to steer away from trying to convey anything personal or biographical about the sitter. I like all that to be very open, far preferring the viewer to make of it what they will.”

Thanks to John Sonsini and Gabriel Barajas for their generous donation of these works, as well as the assistance of Dane Goodman, former director of the Atkinson Gallery.