Rafael Ángel García
Encyclopedia
Rafael Ángel "Felo" García (born 1928) is a Costa Rica
n painter
, architect
, and football (soccer) player. He was one of Costa Rica's most outstanding art teachers and administrators in the late 20th century. His work as a promoter of Costa Rican culture earned him the nickname "El adelantado" ("The advanced"). García won the 2008 Magón National Prize for Culture
, the highest award that can be given to a Costa Rican artist.
, he began his career as a professional football player in Cuba
. There, he met Costa Rican artist Manuel de la Cruz González and he began to show his interest in painting as a form of expression. From Cuba he went to Colombia
to continue playing soccer. In Colombia, he discovered the slums of Cali
and Medellín
, a subject of interest for his first paintings. In 1951 he returned to Costa Rica where, in addition to football, he worked at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation. With Teodorico Quirós, the architect and landscape painter, he began to paint with greater dedication.
In 1954 he returned to England to continue his studies. There he found the answer to his artistic concerns in abstract expressionism
, a moment in which artists channeled their feelings into works emphasizing plastic elements such as color, line, texture, and space, but not objective reality. He also formed, with other students in his university, the group New Vision (Nueva Visión) with the intention of painting, exchanging ideas, critiquing each other, and presenting their work in different locations.
In 1956 he returned to Costa Rica, where he found a stagnant art scene. In 1958 he opened the second abstract art exhibition in Costa Rica. Year later, the artist recalled the horrific impact that the works caused, and how the people had mocked them, saying that he did not know how to draw. Subsequently, he formed the group Ocho with other artists, promoting abstract art and performing various cultural activities to fill the existing gaps. In this 1958 exhibition he presented works related to abstract expression and matérica (material) painting, which used non-traditional materials such as sant, sawdust, and plaster. At the same time, be began to develop calligraphic abstraction and his own gestural "action painting," in which he explored the theme of the big city with its skyscrapers and crowded buildings.
His continued experimentation led him to work with materials like burned resin, as in his Galaxy (1963). He also created works with waste materials like nuts, sheet meta, and wood. With his momentum, the General Department of Arts and Letters (Dirección General de Artes y Letras) was created in 1963, with him as the first director. Thanks to his tireless work at the head of the institution, cultural activities in the country expanded, reaching almost the entire national territory. He began to paint scenes of slums, showing his interested in urbanism, which was linked to his training as an architect and urban planner. His central theme was the slums with houses constructed of poor materials such as cardboard, tin, or wood. In these works, there are no human figures, but their presence is felt through the presence of hanging clothes, electric cables, and lights. These paintings were not intended as a social protest; rather, the issue of poor housing was for him aesthetically appealing.
His dream of creating the School of Architecture at the University of Costa Rica
was finally achieved in 1971; he was its first director. One highlight of his tenure was the research project "Bamboo, an alternative to development," which intended to provide solutions to solve the problems of low-income housing.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
n painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, and football (soccer) player. He was one of Costa Rica's most outstanding art teachers and administrators in the late 20th century. His work as a promoter of Costa Rican culture earned him the nickname "El adelantado" ("The advanced"). García won the 2008 Magón National Prize for Culture
Magón National Prize for Culture
The Magón National Prize for Culture is a prestigious award given by the government of Costa Rica, through its Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sport, to a Costa Rican citizen in recognition of their life's work in the cultural field...
, the highest award that can be given to a Costa Rican artist.
Biography
After a time in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he began his career as a professional football player in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. There, he met Costa Rican artist Manuel de la Cruz González and he began to show his interest in painting as a form of expression. From Cuba he went to 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...
to continue playing soccer. In Colombia, he discovered the slums of Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
and Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, a subject of interest for his first paintings. In 1951 he returned to Costa Rica where, in addition to football, he worked at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation. With Teodorico Quirós, the architect and landscape painter, he began to paint with greater dedication.
In 1954 he returned to England to continue his studies. There he found the answer to his artistic concerns in abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
, a moment in which artists channeled their feelings into works emphasizing plastic elements such as color, line, texture, and space, but not objective reality. He also formed, with other students in his university, the group New Vision (Nueva Visión) with the intention of painting, exchanging ideas, critiquing each other, and presenting their work in different locations.
In 1956 he returned to Costa Rica, where he found a stagnant art scene. In 1958 he opened the second abstract art exhibition in Costa Rica. Year later, the artist recalled the horrific impact that the works caused, and how the people had mocked them, saying that he did not know how to draw. Subsequently, he formed the group Ocho with other artists, promoting abstract art and performing various cultural activities to fill the existing gaps. In this 1958 exhibition he presented works related to abstract expression and matérica (material) painting, which used non-traditional materials such as sant, sawdust, and plaster. At the same time, be began to develop calligraphic abstraction and his own gestural "action painting," in which he explored the theme of the big city with its skyscrapers and crowded buildings.
His continued experimentation led him to work with materials like burned resin, as in his Galaxy (1963). He also created works with waste materials like nuts, sheet meta, and wood. With his momentum, the General Department of Arts and Letters (Dirección General de Artes y Letras) was created in 1963, with him as the first director. Thanks to his tireless work at the head of the institution, cultural activities in the country expanded, reaching almost the entire national territory. He began to paint scenes of slums, showing his interested in urbanism, which was linked to his training as an architect and urban planner. His central theme was the slums with houses constructed of poor materials such as cardboard, tin, or wood. In these works, there are no human figures, but their presence is felt through the presence of hanging clothes, electric cables, and lights. These paintings were not intended as a social protest; rather, the issue of poor housing was for him aesthetically appealing.
His dream of creating the School of Architecture at the University of Costa Rica
University of Costa Rica
The University of Costa Rica is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro, in the province of San José. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious institution of higher learning in...
was finally achieved in 1971; he was its first director. One highlight of his tenure was the research project "Bamboo, an alternative to development," which intended to provide solutions to solve the problems of low-income housing.