The critic José María Salvador interviews the Venezuelan sculptor José Jesús Moros. Salvador discusses the salient features of the sculptor’s recent work, mentioning the relationship between the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal arrangement of the lines in his pieces, and the sculpture’s interaction with its surrounding environment. Salvador identifies a series of new traits that were not present in his earlier period, and proceeds to compartmentalize all of Moros’ work. According to Salvador, Moros’ work—prior to the Vectores y Tensores exhibition—had a linear quality that was reminiscent of drawing or calligraphy; a void and virtual approach to volume; a centrifugal radiation of forces and energies in space; a dominant vertical mode; an axial symmetry; a dual frontal exposure; a taste for circularity and the concentricity of the elements; and, of course, a reference to masks, totems, and altar pieces. But these latest works are different to the earlier pieces: there is a compact, solid quality; volumes are evident and hermetic; there is a sense of repose, concentration, and retention of energy; a predominantly horizontal arrangement; a lack of symmetry; a plurality of approaches in terms of perspective; an abundance of prismatic and cylindrical elements; a ubiquitous pure geometric morphology. Salvador suggests that the artist is concerned with the presence of non-virtual volume and its interference in space.       

The Spanish-born Venezuelan historian, teacher, and critic José María Salvador (b. 1946) interviews José Jesús Moros (b. 1950) on the occasion of Vectores y Tensores (Maracay: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Mario Abreu, 1995), the exhibition of the latter’s sculptures. This exhibition shows that the Venezuelan sculptor’s forms, contents, and inspirations have changed substantially since his earlier work; he has turned away from orthodox constructivism to focus more on the volume (real and non-virtual) that was absent in his previous pieces. During the interview Salvador addresses this evolutionary change, noting that the sculptor now uses iron in the production of his sculptures. This interview is important because it includes an extensive classification of the visual attributes and aesthetic properties of Moros’ sculptures. The conversation touches on that evolutionary process, and the artist outlines his reasons for, and the visual-aesthetic consequences of, those changes. Like the preceding essay, also by Salvador (“Compacidad del volumen / Complicidad del espacio. Reflexiones sobre los Vectores y Tensores de J. J. Moros”), this interview is important because it splits Moros’ work into two clear periods.

To view another article about this artist, see by Víctor Guédez “J. J. Moros: el constructivismo signológico y sintético” [doc. no. 1162775].