The Argentinean essayist Manuel García Hernández—a close friend of Gabriel Bracho—reviews the 1951 exhibition of the artist’s work at the Salón Peuser, which he deems “one of the most brilliant galleries” in Buenos Aires. Hernández clarifies that Bracho’s work has similarities with Mexican painting, though the artist has followed his own path: the exaltation of the Latin American man. This “neo-Latin American” approach is expressed in a body of work that is “brave,” “combative,” and “contradictory.” The work arouses our interest in our brothers who are suffering by portraying that other Latin American reality that does not suit the tastes of the official art circles. The writer clarifies that Bracho previously stirred up controversy in Venezuela, taking a direct, questioning, and bold stance in an exhibition held at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas. One of the literary figures who attended that exhibition was the Venezuelan poet Juan Liscano. The essayist commends Bracho, placing him on the level with other painters, such as [José Clemente] Orozco, [Diego] Rivera, [Héctor] Poleo, and [Armando] Reverón.

This review written by Hernández, reports the vertiginous energy that Gabriel Bracho (1915–1995) has poured into his work in recent years. The writer applauds those countries in which the artist has been able to show his work and discusses the impact of his exhibitions. He reminds the reader that by then, the internationalist strategy that Bracho had been bringing to his aesthetic aspirations was well known. Along with this, he notes the artist’s interest in accumulating column inches in the national press, becoming, as a consequence, one of the most involved activists promoting social realism in Venezuela. For both Bracho and other members of the social realism movement in Venezuela (see César Rengifo), this strategy calls for setting themselves up as the country’s aesthetic avant-garde, aligning at the same time with the revolutionary spirit that was evident in the field of art and aesthetics around Latin America at the time.

[Regarding Bracho’s work, see the ICAA digital archive: an essay by Pedro Lobos, “Semblanzas de nuestros días en la pintura de Gabriel Bracho” (doc. no. 1080662); Juan Liscano’s text, “Gabriel Bracho” (doc. no. 850217); Héctor Mujica’s essay, “Excelencias de un pintor comprometido” (doc. no. 845986); and Guillermo Alfredo Cook’s article, “Bracho sacrifica lo más caro a todo artista: La Libertad” (doc. no. 850751)].