While the interviewee, the painter Alberto Dávila, states that the milieu is one influence on artists, he also regards foreign influences as positive for Latin American creators, as long as they do not dampen the artists’ creativity. Artists are “almost obligated” to use the knowledge developed by European art, which does nothing to establish a direct link between contemporary and ancient art in Peru. Dávila believes that modern painting allows more freedom of expression when it does not break with “established rules.” Moreover, the painter understands nonfigurative art as a culmination that requires both the prior mastery of figurative art and a “feeling of separation from nature.” Though he does not advocate either a nationalist or a cosmopolitan path, he does observe a clear development in Peruvian painting in recent years. In this regard, Dávila emphasizes the importance of the initiatives of Francisco Moncloa, who recently opened a pioneering commercial gallery and organized a major painting competition.

This text is an interview with the painter Alberto Dávila conducted by Eduardo Moll, a German artist and critic living in Peru. In an art world that favored figurative art (in both nationalist and indigenous variations), his perspective toward Abstract art made him unique.

In late 1952, Eduardo Moll (b. 1929) conducted a series of interviews with well-known Peruvian artists that were broadcasted on Radio Callao and subsequently published in the Semanario Peruano 1952. The prior year, the debate about Abstract art—stirred up by statements made by the painter Fernando de Szyszlo (b. 1925)—made the public aware of the issues under discussion by Lima’s intelligentsia. [See the ICAA digital archive, “Dice Fernando Szyzlo [sic] que no hay pintores en el Perú ni América: el joven pintor peruano declara sentir su pintura y la de los demás pero no puede explicarla” (anonymous) (doc. No. 1137793).] Such issues included the artist’s social commitment and the possibility of truly “Peruvian” painting. These matters were the focus of the interviews performed by Moll, who was able to gather a broad spectrum of opinions due to the diversity of the trends to which the artists interviewed belonged. On the one hand, Moll’s interviews feature artists who were open to the “nonfigurative” concept, such as Szyszlo himself [“Me parece que no hay otra pintura que la europea” (doc. No. 864956)], Ricardo Grau (1907–70) [“Encuesta: Ricardo Grau expone sus puntos de vista sobre la pintura y sus escuelas” (doc. No. 1150493)] and Alberto Dávila (1912–88)On the other hand, the series includes interviews by Moll with artists who were critical of Abstract art, such as Juan Manuel Ugarte Eléspuru (1911–2004) [“Pintura : reportaje a Juan Manuel Ugarte E.” (doc. No. 864995)], Sérvulo Gutiérrez (1914–61) [“Sérvulo Gutiérrez opina llanamente sobre pintura y sobre pintores” (doc. No. 1150441)] and Carlos Aitor Castillo (1913–2000) [“Reportaje a Carlos A. Castillo” (doc. No. 865074)], as well as the academic sculptor Romano Espinoza Cáceda (1898–1957). [“Reportaje a Romano Espinoza Cáceda”, por Moll (doc. No. 1227158)].