Gronk La Tormenta Lesson 66

 

                                                La Tormenta 1994

-Gronk born in 1954 in East Los Angeles, California, was born Glugio Nicandro, is a Chicano 

painter, printmaker, and performance artists.

2. His work is collected by museums around the country including the Smithsonian American

Art Museum.

3. Gronk was born in Los Angeles to Mexican-American parents and was raised primarily

by his mother.

4. Gronk started creating things at a young age. His cites pop culture as a source of 

inspiriation.

5. Another artistic influence on Gronk was his uncle, who would frequently draw with him

at home after work or on weekends.

6. Among other influences, foreign films which he generally watched in Santa Monica, are 

mentioned as his influence.

7. He was fascinated with the larger world and concepts that many of the foreign films

from Russia, France and elsewhere brought to his imagination. 

8. At age fourteen, Gronk started writing his own plays.  One of his earliest performance plays

was "Cockroaches Have No Friends", which led him to meet a group of young artists that

would become part of his art exhibitions and performances.

9. Along with young developing artists: Patssi Valdez, Harry Gamboa Jr., Willie Herron and 

Sylvia Delgado they form the performance art group named "Asco".

10. ASCO became an East Los Angeles based Chicano artist collective, active from 1972-1987.

The collective drew directive reference to the word's Spanish significance in Spanish

meaning disgust or repulsion.

11. Asco's work throughout the 1970's and 1980's responded specifically to socioeconomic

and political problems surrounding the Chicano community in the United States including

the Vietnam War.

12. Gronk took his education beyond what he learned in school.  He was a big reader from

a young age and liked to learn everything he could about art.

13. He did much of his own research at the library, gaining vast knowledge of European

modern art and film.