Bernardo Ríos
Encyclopedia
Bernardo Ríos is a Colombian artist, born in Santuario
, Risaralda
, Colombia
in 1959. Ríos is a self-taught artist coming from a very rural area of Colombia to present his artwork both nationally and internationally. Ríos' work first came to international attention after his one-man exhibition at the Colombian House of Congress in 2001.
His artwork takes in ordinary of themes — often just simple everyday themes distilled from Colombian life — capturing moments of life in rural Colombia.
His artistic style is based on what he calls "foquism" which may be considered as an extension in terms of style of art presented by the cubism of Picasso or the works created by George Braque, Franz Marc
, or Lyonel Feininger
or even the futurist
art movement. However, Ríos maintains that his work is free from these influences and is simply based on the distortions that can be created by light through its reflection
or refraction
and it is this essence that most defines his work and artistic style. In addition, he includes small "symbols" in his canvases which also represent sounds.
Ríos uses glaze
and scumble to create the geometric effects found within the images of his works. Occasionally he also uses a palette knife
to provide certain effects within his paintings.
Santuario
Santuario is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia.Santuario is known by its people....
, Risaralda
Risaralda Department
Risaralda is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central region of the country and part of the Paisa Region. Its capital is Pereira.It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in 1959. Ríos is a self-taught artist coming from a very rural area of Colombia to present his artwork both nationally and internationally. Ríos' work first came to international attention after his one-man exhibition at the Colombian House of Congress in 2001.
His artwork takes in ordinary of themes — often just simple everyday themes distilled from Colombian life — capturing moments of life in rural Colombia.
His artistic style is based on what he calls "foquism" which may be considered as an extension in terms of style of art presented by the cubism of Picasso or the works created by George Braque, Franz Marc
Franz Marc
Franz Marc was a German painter and printmaker, one of the key figures of the German Expressionist movement...
, or Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Feininger
Lyonel Charles Feininger was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist.-Life and work:...
or even the futurist
Futurism (art)
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century. It emphasized and glorified themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth and violence, and objects such as the car, the airplane and the industrial city...
art movement. However, Ríos maintains that his work is free from these influences and is simply based on the distortions that can be created by light through its reflection
Reflection (physics)
Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two differentmedia so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves...
or refraction
Refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed...
and it is this essence that most defines his work and artistic style. In addition, he includes small "symbols" in his canvases which also represent sounds.
Ríos uses glaze
Glaze (painting technique)
Glazes can change the chroma, value, hue and texture of a surface. Drying time will depend on the amount and type of paint medium used in the glaze. The medium, base, or vehicle is the mixture to which the dry pigment is added...
and scumble to create the geometric effects found within the images of his works. Occasionally he also uses a palette knife
Palette knife
A palette knife is a blunt tool used for mixing or applying paint, with a flexible steel blade. It is primarily used for mixing paint colors, paste, etc., or for marbling, decorative endpapers, etc...
to provide certain effects within his paintings.
Online References
- Clifton Gallery Bristol,UK
- Newspaper Colombia Exhibition Information (Spanish)
- Pereira News Information (Spanish)
- Colombian Gallery Info in Spanish
- Saatchi Gallery Online Gallery
- DIFOCUR: Exhibition in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
- Colombian Art at Wordpress: The Art of Bernardo Ríos