Documents of Latin American and Latino Art

This review of the caricaturist Ricardo Rendón was written a few days after his death. The writer of the review, Enrique Millán, explains that his goal was to record certain details of the artist’s life and work. Millán is surprised that Rendón [...]

This is a review of works by Rómulo Rozo, written in Paris by Hugo D. Barbagelata. It begins by quoting the words written by the French sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, who was highly complimentary of Rozo’s artistic abilities: “I hope that Colombia [...]

This is a review of the work of the English painter and illustrator Aubrey Beardsley. It is written by Germán Arciniegas, who discusses the craft and creativity of the artist’s illustrations. The review begins by associating art with mystery, [...]

This text is a biographical overview of the life of Colombian painter Ramón Torres Méndez. The anonymous author begins by discussing Torres Méndez’s early experiences: the private drawing classes he took in Bogotá, the printing press where he [...]

In this text, Germán Arciniegas, director of the magazine Universidad, describes how he discovered George Franklin, a young draftsman who would later become one of the magazine’s leading caricaturists. The author tells the story of how, one fine [...]

This is a generally favorable review of the work of caricaturist and prolific draftsman Pepe Gómez. Rafael Tavera, artist and author of this text, states that he would like to see an exhibition of Gómez’s work, which is featured in “a number of [...]

This article by the researcher Camilo Sarmiento, “El Automático, entre la literatura y el arte” [El Automático: Between Literature and Art] appeared in Café El Automático: arte, crítica y esfera pública [Café El Automático: Art, Criticism [...]

This is a critical review of the 1922 exhibition of works by the Colombian painter Eugenio Peña at the Academia de la Lengua [Language Academy] in Bogotá. The review is divided into two parts, the first of which criticizes the widespread lack of [...]

This is a critical review of the exhibition of works by the Colombian artist Luis Alberto Acuña that was presented in Paris. The art critic Maximiliano Grillo begins by praising the French government for the art initiatives it has championed, and [...]

This text by Colombian critic Juan de Oviedo is a review of the 1933 exhibition of Colombian painter Efraím Martínez held in the main hall of the Capitolio Nacional. De Oviedo starts out praising Martínez’s work which, he states, has improved [...]

This article by essayist and historian Germán Arciniegas discusses José Domingo Rodríguez’s sculptural work. In it, Arciniegas provides an introductory overview of the emerging Colombian art scene, mentioning specifically poets León de Greiff [...]

This extensive article by Guillermo Valencia Castillo discusses the work of Colombian artist Ricardo Acevedo Bernal. In the introduction, Valencia Castillo addresses the obstacles that had to be overcome before Acevedo Bernal came to be considered [...]

This text by Colombian writer Enrique Caballero Escovar is a critical review of Ricardo Gómez Campuzano’s pictorial work. In it, Caballero Escovar expresses his admiration for the landscapes by this artist from Bogotá, especially those depicting [...]

In this review of a show featuring work by Spanish sculptor Ramón Barba, Max Grillo explains that Barba’s “unrivaled wooden sculpture Jacob el mendigo” is found beside paintings by Pierre Daguet and Hena Rodríguez. Grillo goes on to assert [...]

In this text, Daniel Samper Ortega critically discusses certain events that took place on the Colombian art scene in 1929. First, he bemoans the death of artist Roberto Pizano, an important figure on the Colombian art scene, largely due to his work [...]

The synopsis and the annotations in English are coming soon.                                However, our bilingual readers can click on “Español” to access this information in Spanish [...]

The synopsis and the annotations in English are coming soon.                                However, our bilingual readers can click on “Español” to access this information in Spanish [...]

This is an anonymous art-criticism article (by R. M.) about the Salón de 1910 [1910 Salon], published on the first page of the conservative newspaper, La Unidad. The writer begins with the hypothesis that the senses are the essential instrument for [...]

This document is an art criticism that examines the sculpture shown at the Salón de Arte de 1910 [1910 Art Salon] in Colombia. The writer begins by discussing the architects of the pavilion where the exhibition was held, even mentioning the [...]

This is a letter written by Francisco Barrera, a columnist at La Unidad in Bogotá, to Laureano Gómez, in response to his opinion on the best paintings at the Salón de Arte de 1910 [1910 Art Salon]. As his first choice, Barrera chooses and [...]

This document reproduces the speech given by priest and historian José Manuel Marroquín Osorio at the opening of the exhibition of fine arts on the occasion of the celebration of the centennial of Colombian independence—Celebración del Primer [...]