This chapter is of particular interest because for the first time it presents a detailed chronological profile of the life and work of Dora Ramírez (b. 1923), the painter from Antioquia, based on some very thorough research. The text reviews the most important moments in her personal and professional life, highlighting her major exhibitions and quoting the response from the critics. It also quotes extensively from newspaper articles and interviews. Her teacher, Richard Kathmann, wrote the following in 1971: “(…) Dora Ramírez’s works are steeped in humanity (…) her work is a tribute to living. It is light, affirmation, joy, it is painting in and of itself, painting for the sake of painting. She creates miracles with her hands.”
This “Chronology” is part of a book that was published as a tribute to the artist; the book includes statements from friends who used to attend the tertulias [gatherings] at her house, where the most prominent intellectual to participate was the writer Manuel Mejía Vallejo.
The book includes an extensive selection of oil and acrylic paintings, and pencil and charcoal drawings (produced between 1961 and 1986). In the mid-1980s Ramírez stopped painting and focused more on her tango dancing; since then she has taken part in many public performances at national and international events.