Painter, draftsman, and teacher. Fontánez earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Puerto Rico in 1967 and continued his Master’s degree studies at New York University. In Puerto Rico, he was a member of student groups such as Borinquen 12 and Forma Universitaria. He was professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón.
Inspired by the Puerto Rican landscape, he has developed an abstract style characterized by strong lyricism. His works are characterized by an idiosyncratic vocabulary of expressive and harmonious organic shapes. The artist says that his work is constructed gradually, from the starting point of a brushstroke, tone, or texture.