Luis Antonio Gonzalez - be true to your self

Luis Antonio González
(Artisanal materials crafted by the artist himself)


Be True to Your Self is a work that clearly positions itself at the crossroads between contemporary portrait, urban identity, and ethical declaration. Luis Antonio González presents a frontal profile that appears serene, but is laden with signs, marks, and symbols that function as layers of an unwritten biography, a skin turned into a manifesto.

The figure, shaved and tattooed, is shown in profile as if moving toward its own horizon. It does not look at the viewer: it belongs to itself. That compositional choice reinforces the central message of the work —fidelity to oneself as an act of resistance— and turns the portrait into a silent yet firm assertion. The symbols —crown, cross, graffiti, words— do not decorate: they declare. They are fragments of an identity built from experience, contradiction, and personal assertion.

The background, executed with free gesturality and references to urban language, engages with the text “XO XO / Be True to Your Self,” integrating word and image without hierarchy. This fusion recalls both street art and studio contemporary painting, positioning the work in a hybrid, current, and highly collectible territory.

One key aspect is the use of artisanal materials created by the artist themselves, which reinforces the conceptual coherence of the piece: the message of authenticity is not only represented but embodied in the very process. The pictorial matter, with its controlled imperfections and visible texture, conveys physical presence and time, moving away from any industrial artifices.

From a curatorial reading, this work connects with current discourses on identity, self-affirmation, and belonging, without slipping into literalism or pamphleteering. It is a piece that engages with the present while also preserving a timeless strength: the human need to recognize oneself and to sustain oneself in the face of the world.

For the collector, Be True to Your Self offers an especially appealing combination: immediate visual impact, symbolic depth, an authentic process, and a strong contemporary language. It works both as a centerpiece in a private space and within a collection that engages with the urban, the figurative, and identity. An acquisition with character, coherence, and projection.
The artwork is shipped in a transport tube to ensure maximum safety and integrity of the piece.