Hernán Arévalo by Paulina Dueńas Ros, Agulha Magazine, 2001 The woodcut is one of the favorite techniques which some enjoy using to accentuate graphical elements in their work. This constitutes an ideal resource to express creative intentions. In addition, the work on the wood plate comes near to the satisfaction of one of most intense desires: the return to a primitive way of creating, that is to say, to the manual work of the craftsman. In Latin America this technique has been used widely due to diverse reasons. Among these are the low cost of production which permits the elaboration in series of the same design, and the easy access to a varied public. Also, it is a way to give greater resonance to an artistic production eager to emancipate itself of academic means. His (Hernán Arévalo) work is centered in a realism that allows him to explore the national and Central American life from the popular to the urban, its inclination towards graffiti, which provides it with the anonymous element, impersonal, with juxtapositions of symbols which sometimes are loosened, apparently, from their original meaning. In his work are perceived certain connections with Cuban painter Cuban Wilfredo Lam, because both rediscover the subtle secret forms of their culture and nature, fixing them with that magical tone that characterizes them, but not for that reason absent of their surroundings. Arévalo resorts to typical elements of the tropics such as the vegetation, the popular fauna, celebrations and religion, this last one clarified with Afro-Caribbean characteristics. He chooses them because he knows that there the light is special, the forms are more precise and delicate this light conceals the forms and the night reveals them. His deaths take in their faces and movements expressions of a deep eroticism, difficult to separate from the hot earth. His work can be described as expressionist, sharp, cutting. The tool responds to its intention exactly: to complete the design. This always black, strong and deep outline allows us to connect it to German engraver Erich Heckel, an expressionist whose sharpened outline and sureness denotes in himself as much effusion as his own work. But in Arévalo this same outline and the alive colors are borrowed to create own winding and sensual forms of the Caribbean. I think with Hernán Arévalo, a space exists in the global village for an office that shows pulsations of identity, such as those that originate the art in Latin America. |
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| "We really had a great time on the Art Tour. I was telling my mom that to just walk into a gallery and look at art seems so dry to me, but to see the artists and hear their stories and inspirations just gave the art such a personal feel to me!" "Your Costa Rica Art Tour was truly a delight. You did a wonderful job in selecting a very talented group of artists with personalities to match. Both Marie and I hope to have the opportunity to share the experience again. Your idea of doing a photographic tour of San Jose sounds very appealing." We hope to see you on the next Costa Rica Art Tour! You are sure to enjoy seeing the work of Costa Rican artists and artisans in their private studios and galleries! Private art tours take place in small groups of 10 persons maximum, so you will have the opportunity to speak directly with the artists. Painters, sculptors, ceramicists, stained glass artists, printmakers, all are included in the tours, as are traditional artisans such as mask-makers and blacksmiths. All of our art tours are in private minibusses, and include lunch and translation into English. We can also arrange, at additional cost, transporation in private limousines. Please click on any image for a more detailed, larger image. Works shown on this site may or may not be available for purchase. Where shown, prices are exclusive of crating, packing and shipping. Please contact us by email first if you would like to place an order. Please email us with any questions: mollykeeler@gmail.com Privacy policy: we will NEVER give or sell your information to ANYONE! PERIOD! If you are a Costa Rican artist and would like to be included in our tours to artists' studios, please send us an email: mollykeeler@gmail.com |