Documents of Latin American and Latino Art

The Colombian poet Max Grillo claims that there is an aesthetic sense that is common to all the arts. In his opinion, to enjoy the visual arts, literature, or music, one must have the ability to feel and understand the emotions that are inherent to [...]

On the premise that “national art has yet to come into being,” Germán Arciniegas levels harsh criticism at the works by Colombian artists Francisco Antonio Cano, Ricardo Gómez Campuzano, and Domingo Moreno Otero included in an exhibition held [...]

After discussing the artistic development of Colombian painter Epifanio Garay, and mentioning his time at the Académie Julian in Paris and his interest in and knowledge of the works in the Louvre, the author turns to Garay’s portraits. Manrique [...]

The question that constitutes the title of this article is posed as a challenge not only to intellectuals, but to society as a whole. In its attempt to answer that question, Revista Flash decided to interview individuals in the art world, despite the [...]

In this article written in 1923, Roberto Pizano analyzes the specificities of a painting exhibition held at the Parque de la Independencia in Bogotá that brought together work by a large number of local artists. Pizano used the exhibition as an [...]

Journalist Darío Samper criticizes what he calls the “philistinism” and “Manichaeism” of 19th-century Colombian intellectuals overly influenced by foreign models, particularly by French thought whose hold on the country he deems excessive. [...]

In this text, Colombian intellectual Baldomero Sanín Cano offers a number of observations about art and the artist, asserting that the time has come for both to move closer to the masses. Sanín argues that the belief that art is only for a segment [...]

This text is Colombian critic Rafael Azula Barrera’s response to Darío Samper’s article on the difference between generations. While Azula Barrera recognizes to a certain extent the legitimacy of Samper’s criticism of earlier generations, he [...]

In this text, Colombian painter and critic Rafael Tavera analyzes the objective and the subjective tendencies in art, the two strains operative at the time. The first encompasses those artists who consider art imitation and direct interpretation of [...]

Upon his return from Europe, Colombian artist Luis Alberto Acuña Tapia was interviewed for the magazine El Gráfico. In the conversation, Acuña describes his journey through Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. He criticizes the first for its “cold [...]

Max Grillo provides a detailed description of the life of Colombian sculptor Rómulo Rozo, including the difficulties he faced while studying in Paris at both the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi. Rozo maintains that his greatest teacher [...]

After defining aesthetics as “the study of the causes of beauty” and beauty as a synonym of perfection, Colombian priest and critic Juan Crisóstomo García explains his conception of art. “Beautiful” art is an ideal since the existence of [...]

This text by writer Darío Ruiz Gómez was written on the occasion of an exhibition of prints by artists Umberto Giangrandi, Carlos Granada, and Fabio Rodríguez. Ruiz Gómez contrasts Colombian art’s widespread lack of commitment with the vitality [...]

A number of years after the death of Colombian painter Epifanio Garay, an exhibition comprising forty of his portraits was held at the Academia de la Lengua. In this text, critic Gustavo Santos Montejo asserts that the quality of the work in the [...]

This article by Víctor Amaya González highlights three important aspects of Spanish sculptor Ramón Barba’s work: its ability to transform materials and to harmonize a diverse range of elements; its distinctive quality; and finally, and most [...]

When asked about the state of decorative arts in Colombia, critic Carlos Arturo Tapias Sánchez responds that there is just the faintest suggestion of an innovative tendency in the work of sculptors Rómulo Rozo and Ramón Barba. The first, Tapias S [...]

In this interview with Colombian journalist and poet Eduardo Castillo (known as “El Caballero Duende”), Colombian painter Coriolano Leudo speaks of his early days as an artist making backdrops for theater sets. It was thanks to this work that he [...]

Back in his native country after more than five years in Madrid, Colombian painter Domingo Moreno Otero speaks of his educational experiences at the Academia de San Fernando and at the Museo del Prado. In this interview, Moreno Otero praises Diego [...]

This interview by Caballero Duende focuses on the education and artistic preferences of Colombian artist Francisco Antonio Cano, as well as the general situation of art education. In 1899 and 1900, Cano traveled in Europe, visiting and studying in a [...]