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sofia r.c. melendez (she/they) is a multi-faceted human. they are an artist, art historian, writer, and performer (among many other things). they are about to graduate with a bachelor's degree in art history with a minor in theatre from the macaulay honors college at hunter college. here, she was named a horace w. goldsmith scholar. born and raised in new york city, they have been immersed in the arts from a very young age, whether it be creating, performing, or researching. she is proudly puerto rican & queer, and aims to further the change the art world has been needing for a very long while.
art historically, she takes personal interests in artists who broke the mold in their own right, radically altering the field with bold, controversial art. they enjoy feeling a personal connection to their subjects, finding pieces of themselves in their life and work along the way; this allows them to truly use their voice in their work. sofia concentrates on the post-impressionist movement of the mid-late 19th century, more specifically the life and work of vincent van gogh (1853-1890). their dual-part bachelor's thesis, "crossing the corridor: vincent van gogh, the 'tortured artist', and how to heal when the world is against you", concerns the artist and the academic & cultural perception of his character & work in juxtaposition to his mental illness. it focuses on vincent's art while interned at an asylum in saint-rémy-de-provence for a year, coloring it as a life-affirming and joy-bringing practice that helped him to heal. it was recently selected for the 2024 CUNY Undergraduate Research Symposium on may 24th, 2024. you can read their thesis HERE. they also run "goghgetter" (@goghgetter on instagram), an online initiative to make art history fun & accessible for audiences of all backgrounds.
sofia has been a self-taught artist since the age of 8, working in mediums including (but not limited to) acrylic paint, watercolors, oil pastels, graphite, collage, & polymer clay. her work is extremely personal, leaning towards the emotional and the grotesque.
art historically, she takes personal interests in artists who broke the mold in their own right, radically altering the field with bold, controversial art. they enjoy feeling a personal connection to their subjects, finding pieces of themselves in their life and work along the way; this allows them to truly use their voice in their work. sofia concentrates on the post-impressionist movement of the mid-late 19th century, more specifically the life and work of vincent van gogh (1853-1890). their dual-part bachelor's thesis, "crossing the corridor: vincent van gogh, the 'tortured artist', and how to heal when the world is against you", concerns the artist and the academic & cultural perception of his character & work in juxtaposition to his mental illness. it focuses on vincent's art while interned at an asylum in saint-rémy-de-provence for a year, coloring it as a life-affirming and joy-bringing practice that helped him to heal. it was recently selected for the 2024 CUNY Undergraduate Research Symposium on may 24th, 2024. you can read their thesis HERE. they also run "goghgetter" (@goghgetter on instagram), an online initiative to make art history fun & accessible for audiences of all backgrounds.
sofia has been a self-taught artist since the age of 8, working in mediums including (but not limited to) acrylic paint, watercolors, oil pastels, graphite, collage, & polymer clay. her work is extremely personal, leaning towards the emotional and the grotesque.
