In this brief and posthumous profile of Dominican artist Darío Suro, critic and art historian Marianne de Tolentino starts by recounting the affectionate link she had with him and how her professional trajectory was marked by Suro’s mentoring and artistic talent. In his writings and artworks, the Caribbean artist stood out for his iconoclastic approach toward that which is trite, ordinary, and facile in art. De Tolentino discusses the different styles that made Suro famous and mentions Composición Numérica [Numeric Composition] as one of the most expensive Dominican works of art to be sold at auction. The author continues Suro’s artistic biography by mentioning the plans the artist had for his future interrupted by his death in 1997.

Marianne de Tolentino is a French-born art critic working in the Dominican Republic. Her article recognizes the hybrid nature of Darío Suro’s legacy that was marked by his work as an artist and critic. Published as part of a posthumous homage issue on ARS Atelier, this is one of six short essays and a poem dedicated to the life and work of Darío Suro. Gustavo Valdés was the editor in chief of the magazine, which, according to their front page, was “a space and publication dedicated to promoting the visual and the performing arts, as well as the literature of contemporary Cuban artists.” Other articles that are part of this special issue include: “Darío Suro: la herejía en el arte” by Gustavo Valdés (doc. no. 821981); “Suro en la Encrucijada de la Identidad” by Laura Gil Fiallo (doc. no. 821643); “Darío Suro” by Alejandro Anreus (doc. no. 809430); “Ceremonias y Tiempos. Suro y su ritual. Darío y el presente” by Sara Hermann (doc. no. 822037); “Darío el Dibujante” by Federico Suro (doc. no. 822016); and “Fantasía,” a poem by Zoé Valdés (doc. no. 822057). Darío Suro (1917–1997) was an art critic, painter, and diplomat from the Dominican Republic. In his country he studied first under his uncle, the painter Enrique García Godoy, and later on, when he lived in Mexico City (from 1943 to 1947), with Diego Rivera and Agustín Lazo. Upon his return to the Dominican Republic, Suro had an important solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Fine Arts. His sojourn in Mexico exerted a great stylistic impact on his work. Whereas before, Suro had opted for an impressionist style, marked by a harmonious palette and a melancholic tone; after his return from Mexico, the artist began using bolder colors that went hand in hand with the ethnic backdrop he began applying to his production. Suro, the painter, often had to divide his time between his art and his responsibilities as cultural attaché to countries such as Spain, Mexico, and the United States. Together with Yoryi Morel and Jaime Colson, he is considered one of the founders of modern art in the Dominican Republic.