Sadoth Gonzalez

Sadoth Gonzalez, 28, is a Mexican-American oil painter who was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico and currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri. He specializes in figurative realism and is obsessed with capturing light and color. From the way dawn’s first rays brush the landscape to the raw power of a setting sun—Sadoth’s paintings echo with a delicate understanding of nature’s most dynamic element. His work is a study in contrasts—the interplay of shadows and light, the juxtaposition of colors, the balance between the abstract and the real. What sets Sadoth apart in the field of oil painting is his unconventional and unapologetic use of color, inspired by his Mexican and Cuban ancestry. His works are vibrant orchestras of hues that dance and interact with each other, creating images that are far from static and portraying stories that convey a constantly evolving message. He received his Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Art with an Emphasis in Studio Art from Webster University.

Dawn of the Sixth Sun is a series of oil paintings focused on Indigenous Mexico and the end of the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. In Aztec belief, the universe was born and destroyed in cycles and each cycle was characterized by a sun. During the Aztec civilization, they were on the fifth sun. However, they believed that their world would be destroyed and as such, the age of the Sixth sun would be one of apocalypse for them. Inspired by his early upbringing in Mexico and scenes from his travels across the country, this series explores themes of respect for the land, colonization, conquest and destruction of indigenous cultures and humanistic ways of life, themes that are all too relevant today.