About

This powerful and enigmatic painting is a brilliant example of compelling content, bold composition and outstanding technique. It is however, none the less, quite a startling work of art. Just what is the artist conveying here?

Like so much of Varriano’s work, he offers us a painting that requires our participation. We must engage with Machismo if we desire to know its meaning.

We can start with the proposition that we are looking at an individual who has gone through many tribulations in life. He is no youngster, but he is not an old man either. Perhaps in his mid-fifties, he has seen a lot of life but still has a way to go. Despite his trials, he still stands strong like a pillar. He refuses to be defeated, even in the face of difficult adversities. He engages the view directly with a serious expression of self-composure combined with quiet pride. With his shirt removed, we can see the he does not have the overwrought physique of a bodybuilder, but his tight-knit, well-formed body is more akin to that of a fighter. 

In him we see the embodiment of that Hispanic masculine virtue known as machismo—an individual capable of facing trouble with temperance, strength, stoicism, and perhaps most of all, courage. The Latin equivalent of the Anglo, “Maintaining a stiff upper lip.” Many of us have known people like this in our lives. They are hard workers who can stand up to almost anything without fear. 

Upon a closer look, we see that Varriano has him wearing a silver watch. If we analyze the way in which his hands are crossed though, we can imagine that watch being transformed into handcuffs. Not the cuffs of a criminal, but of a man who has been shackled by his circumstances. He wants and deserves to be free. Giving our attention to Varriano’s depiction, we can read the deeper layer of meaning communicated by the watch. The band is only on one hand, so he is free, but not entirely. I’m sure that most of us at one time or another have identified with this feeling. 

The beautifully rendered, rotating fan in the stone wall window can be seen as a metaphor for a fast-moving clock, counting the seconds, minutes, hours, and days in a person’s life. The fan is aged and rusty and we can sense that odor projected from within the building have a scent of old, wet wood, lime plaster, metal, oil, turpentine, and dust. 

Has he stepped out from his place of work for some fresh air? We can’t be sure. Varriano depicts the steel bars on the window opening for a dual purpose. Yes, they are there to keep criminals out, but they also represent a prison for those who work within. 

Everywhere within the painting are signs of confinement, restriction, and even imprisonment, but the man is there to remind us to direct the will toward freedom and self-determination. The pigeons are there as a symbol of the souls striving to soar regardless of its circumstances. 



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