Visual Artists of Venezuela

Juan Pedro López

Artifact 2

Visual Artists of Venezuela

I chose to research the topic of visual arts in Venezuela because I have a great interest in the work of people who create art that we can see and touch.  I have a cousin and several friends who have devoted their careers to working in these media.  As a result, I wanted to explore the work of Venezuelan visual artists to discover what their contributions have meant to the culture of Venezuela.

One of the earliest visual artists of Venezuela who painted and sculpted in the mid-18^th Century was Juan Pedro López (1724-1787). Like many European artists before and after him, he was commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church to create altar pieces, sculptures, and paintings based upon Biblical stories.  His work remains a recognizable presence in cathedrals as well as museums throughout Venezuela, and López remains one

of the country’s greatest painters (Lopez, n.d.)                 



Martin Tovar y Tovar

Martin Tovar y Tovar (1827-1902) is generally classified as an early modern realist.  After studying under several artists in Caracas, Madrid, and Paris, he became the official painter for the government.  According to Wikipedia, he was commissioned “to paint a gallery of portraits of leading figures.” (Tovar y Tovar, n.d.) As well, he created a series of paintings illustrating battles in Venezuela’s struggle for independence.

By the middle 19^th century, Venezuelan painters and sculptors joined a new art movement causing a stir in Paris.  Visual artists were experimenting with the effect of light on fleeting impressions in landscapes.  Arturo Michelena (1863-1898), born in Valencia, went to Paris to study and became “… the first Venezuelan artist to succeed overseas and, with…Martin Tovar y Tovar (1827-1902), one of the most important Venezuelan painters of the 19^th century.” (Arturo Michelena, n.d.)

Arturo Michelena

 


Emilio Boggio
Self Portrait

In the early 20^th Century, landscapes featuring impressionist techniques were notable in the works of painters Emilio Boggio (1857-1920) and Armando Reverón ((1889-1954).  Both traveled extensively during their careers between Venezuela and European art centers, with Boggio ultimately settling and dying in France. 

Armando Reveron

While Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro were known to be influences on Boggio, (Emilio Boggio, n.d.) Reverón who studied in Spain was very interested in the subjects and techniques of Francisco Goya and El Greco, among others. (Armando Reveron, n.d.) Reverón returned to Venezuela and settled in the central coastal area to focus on the effect of lighting of tropical landscapes.  He was known for his ‘blue period.’

  

Alejandro Otero

The mid-20^th Century artists, Alejandro Otero (1921-1990), Jesús Soto (1923-2005), and Carlos Cruz-Diéz (1923- ) are primarily known for their work in kinetic art—sculptures with moving parts.  Otero abandoned painting to focus on civic sculptures, receiving commissions for public art in many American cities.  One of them, called Delta Solar, was installed at the Air and Space Museum in Washington for the American Bicentennial. (Otero, n.d.).  According to Soto’s website, his sculptures require the viewer to be ‘in them’ so that the art “is inseparable from the viewer; it can only stand completed in the illusion perceived by the mind as a result of observing the piece.” (Jesus Soto, n.d.) 

  

Carlos Cruz-Diéz

Carlos Cruz-Diéz is internationally recognized with works of kinetic and op art and is one of the most important artists to come out of Venezuela.  He’s received many awards and honors and has been a teacher in Venezuela as well as Europe.  In 1997, The Carlos Cruz-Diéz Print and Design Museum was opened in Caracas.  Its goal was “to create “a graphic image of the country.’” (Carlos Cruz-Diez, n.d.)  He presently lives in Paris. 

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One of the things I’ve noticed about Venezuelan artists is how over the course of years, their work has gravitated from being influenced by the politics of religion as well as the independence movement within the Spanish culture to a more apolitical approach to expression. 

The work of these Venezuelan artists reflects the changing subject matter, styles and techniques of the last 400 years in Spanish and European art.  From the religious work of López to the public art installations of both Soto and Cruz-Diéz, from the Baroque 18^th century to the op art and sculpture of today, Venezuelan artists have developed their own techniques, using their own landscapes and subject matter.  Today their Spanish academies, design centers, and museums exist to further the development of new artists as well as to contribute to an international body of work.  Their work today seems very separate from the strongly political nature of Venezuelan culture today, especially under the leadership of President Hugo Chavez.

Marlins Stadium Walkway
with Cruz-Diéz

I have enjoyed learning about all these artists and having a chance to view some of their work, with a few examples shown here.  I had no idea that a number of public art installations in the US have been completed by Otero and Soto, or that a walkway along the Florida Marlins new stadium was created by Venezuelan Diéz-Cruz.  If you wish to get a fuller appreciation of two of these men, follow the links below:

         Jesus Soto Website                Carlos Cruz-Diéz Website

Reference List

Alejandro Otero (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 7, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Otero.

Armando Reveron (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 7, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armando_Rever%C3%B3n.

Arturo Michelena (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 7, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Michelena.

Carlos Cruz-Diez (n.d.). Atelier Cruz-Diez.  Retrieved October 8, 2012 from http://www.cruz-diez.com/media_files/file/Cruz-Diez_CV_Eng_Summary.pdf.

Columbia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. (2009) World and Its Peoples: the

Americas.  New York: Marshall Cavendish References.

Emilio Boggio (n.d.). Artfact.  Retrieved October 7, 2012 from http://www.artfact.com/artist/boggio-emilio-gv7lp5fols .

Emilio Boggio (n.d.)  Wikipedia.  Retrieved October 9, 2012 from

            http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Boggio.

Jesús Soto (n.d.) Soto.  Retrieved October 8, 2012 from http://www.jr-soto.com/fset_intro.html.

Juan Pedro Lopez (n.d.).  artexperts.com Retrieved October 7, 2012 from http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/lopez.php.

Martin Tovar y Tovar (2003). Artfact. Retrieved October 7, 2012 from  http://www.artfact.com/artist/y-tovar-martin-tovar-rlyw2kacs9.