Parade VIII-Lovely [Serie Parade] (Parade VIII – Lovely [Parade Series])

Roberto González Fernández is an academically trained painter and illustrator whose work falls within the genre of hyperrealism. Beyond his aesthetic a! liation, he is notable for his pioneering commitment to homosexual themes, which, sometimes symbolic and sometimes explicit, have been a constant throughout his career.

The Parade series arises from his contact with the openly gay atmosphere of San Francisco’s Castro neighbourhood, which in the 1970s was known for its vibrant gay community organised socially, culturally and politically. This visibility intensified after New York’s Stonewall riots in 1969, a key moment in the beginning of the fight for gay rights. From 1970 onwards, to commemorate these events, many cities began to hold festive protests defending sexual diversity. González meticulously documents these celebratory demonstrations, focusing on their playful, joyful dimension, just a few years before the outbreak of the AIDS crisis.

Raúl Martínez Arranz