Apuntes para la historia extensa, continuación [Notes for an Extensive History, Continuation]

In much of her work, Beatriz González explores the unavoidable visual deterioration that occurs when images are copied and recopied multiple times, including those of artistic masterpieces, historical figures, and ordinary people featured in the media. She considers herself to be a “provincial” artist. “My painting is in a deliberate bad taste,” González said. “It is a sub-painting for underdeveloped countries with an extensive history.” Her flattened and simplified depictions pose an ironic challenge to the long-held notion that art in Latin America is a poor imitation of original art produced elsewhere. Her awareness of Pop Art led her to use iconic national images, in this case, an image of Simón Bolívar, to examine the construction of Colombian history.