Rocio Urquijo
Encyclopedia
Spanish-born painter
Rocio Urquijo has been exhibiting around the world for the past 30 years. Urquijo's petit points are her most recent means of artistic expression. "They are nomadic, an ideal technique in order to create while traveling. Easy to transport, they can be rolled up in a hurry and slipped into a purse."
, architecture
and folk arts, Urquijo's works reflect the atmosphere of the places she visits: Indonesia
, Sumatra
, Mexico, and various parts of South America and Europe. The artist not only captures the local color and ambiance but also seems to crystallize the magic of these places in her tableaux. "Traveling is for me a great stimulus for creativity. I discover something in every culture." In Sumatra and Bali
, for example, it was the geometric designs of the carved and painted doors. The series "Oaxaca
" was inspired by the designs of the Maya
. "It's the places (I’ve) seen and the things (I’ve) experienced", Urquijo says, "that finally make a work of art."
Urquijo is minimal and simple in her composition, but her strong sense of color and balance create a unique and new visual experience. Her paintings and petit points are well thought out compositions much like Zen
poets and their haikus. Unlike other construction artists, her mixed media
pieces are never somber, but celebrations of color
and simplicity. Much like the personality of the painter, the art is viewer friendly.
, New York
, Singapore
, the Philippines
, Morocco
, and Italy. She has been recognized as an exceptional and gifted artist of imagination and ingenuity and has won numerous art awards in competitions abroad. Her artwork is in many public and private collections worldwide.
, Enrique Zobel
. She is the mother of Iñigo Zobel and Mercedes Zobel.
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...
Rocio Urquijo has been exhibiting around the world for the past 30 years. Urquijo's petit points are her most recent means of artistic expression. "They are nomadic, an ideal technique in order to create while traveling. Easy to transport, they can be rolled up in a hurry and slipped into a purse."
Inspiration
Inspired by interior designInterior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and folk arts, Urquijo's works reflect the atmosphere of the places she visits: Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Mexico, and various parts of South America and Europe. The artist not only captures the local color and ambiance but also seems to crystallize the magic of these places in her tableaux. "Traveling is for me a great stimulus for creativity. I discover something in every culture." In Sumatra and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, for example, it was the geometric designs of the carved and painted doors. The series "Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
" was inspired by the designs of the Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
. "It's the places (I’ve) seen and the things (I’ve) experienced", Urquijo says, "that finally make a work of art."
Urquijo is minimal and simple in her composition, but her strong sense of color and balance create a unique and new visual experience. Her paintings and petit points are well thought out compositions much like Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
poets and their haikus. Unlike other construction artists, her mixed media
Mixed media
Mixed media, in visual art, refers to an artwork in the making of which more than one medium has been employed.There is an important distinction between "mixed-media" artworks and "multimedia art". Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct...
pieces are never somber, but celebrations of color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
and simplicity. Much like the personality of the painter, the art is viewer friendly.
Studies
- 1965 - 1966 - Understudy to Lee Aguinaldo, artist, Manila, Philippines
- 1968 - 1969 - Understudy to José HernándezJosé HernándezJosé Hernández was an Argentine journalist, poet, and politician best known as the author of the epic poem Martín Fierro....
, artist, Madrid, Spain - 1969 - 1970 - Print making with Virgilio (Pandy) Aviado, artist, Madrid, Spain; Print-Making with Michael Ponce de León, artist, Casa Americana, Madrid, Spain
Exhibitions
Urquijo has exhibited in galleries in Spain, VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, and Italy. She has been recognized as an exceptional and gifted artist of imagination and ingenuity and has won numerous art awards in competitions abroad. Her artwork is in many public and private collections worldwide.
Solo exhibitions
- 2002 - Book launch and signing; Rocio Urquijo, Wally Findlay Galleries, New York, New York
- 1998 - "Nature, Form, Color", Wally Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida
- 1998 - "Color, City, Door," Philippine CenterPhilippine CenterThe Philippine Center is a building that houses the Philippine Consulate General in New York City. It is located at 556 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, three blocks south of Rockefeller Plaza and north of the New York Public Library.-History:...
, New York, New York - 1998 - "Exposicíon de Pictura", Instituto CervantesInstituto CervantesThe Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
, Milan, Italy - 1997 - "Patios and Doors", Instituto Cervantes, Manila, Philippines
- 1991 - "Inaguración", Galería Félix, Caracas, Venezuela
- 1983 - Caesium Fine Art Gallery, Singapore
- 1983 - "Rocio Urquijo", Luz Gallery, Manila, Philippines
- 1981 - "Drawings of Rocio Urquijo", Hastings Gallery, Queen Sofia Spanish InstituteQueen Sofia Spanish InstituteThe Queen Sofía Spanish Institute is an organization in New York City founded to promote the Spanish language and the culture of Spain. It is located on 684 Park Avenue in the former Oliver D. Filley House.- History :...
, New York, New York - 1979 - "Dibujos", Jamete - Sala de Arte, CuencaCuenca, Spain-History:When the Iberian peninsula was part of the Roman Empire there were several important settlements in the province, such as Segóbriga, Ercávica and Gran Valeria...
, Spain - 1971 - "Información de Torismo", Casa de Cultura, Valencia, Spain
- 1970 - "Exposition Rocio Urquijo", Luz Gallery, Manila, Philippines
Group exhibitions
- 2001 - "The Art of Holiday Giving", Wally Findlay Galleries, New York, New York
- 1999 - "Inaugural East Hampton Exhibition", Wally Findlay Galleries, East Hampton, New YorkEast Hampton (town), New YorkThe Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
- 1998 - "Women of Vision", Wally Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida
- 1996 - "Poesía Visual y Experimental", Casa del Teatro, Santa Domingo, Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
- 1986 - "Inaguación", Sala Caniego, Mohedas de Granddilla, Spain
- 1985 - "Reenencuentro Hispano Puertorriqueño", Aula de la Columbia, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- 1985 - "Artistas de la Ciudad Encantatda", Casa de la Cultura, Cuenca, Spain
- 1985 - "Artistas Hispano-Americanos en Madrid", Lonja de la Casa del Reloj, Araganzuela, Madrid, Spain
- 1985 - "Artistas Hispano-Puertorriqueño de Artes Plasticas", Museo de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
- 1985 - "1a Body Space Muestra de Grabado", Ciudad de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
- 1983 - I Bienal Hispanoamericana de Dibujo y Grabado, Casa de la Entrevista, Alcalá de HenaresAlcalá de HenaresAlcalá de Henares , meaning Citadel on the river Henares, is a Spanish city, whose historical centre is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, and one of the first bishoprics founded in Spain...
, Spain - 1983 - I Bienal de Pintura y Escultura, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- 1970 - II Print Bienale, Kraków, Poland
- 1970 - "Becados del Washington Irving Institute", Madrid, Spain
- 1970 - "Eros 70", Galeria Vandres, Madrid, Spain
- 1969 - "ABU Group: BenCab, Pandy Aviado, Rocio Urquijo", Sala Honda, Cuenca, Spain
Awards
- 1970 - 1st Prize, Etching, II Print Bienale, Kraków, Poland
- 1971 - 1st Prize, Etching, Información de Turisimo, Valencia, Spain
- 1972 - 1st Prize, Etching, "Becados del Washington Irving Institute", Madrid, Spain
See also
Urquijo is the widow of Philippine industrialist and former CEO of the Ayala CorporationAyala Corporation
Ayala Corporation is a holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by the Spanish and German Ayala, Roxas, and Zobel families during colonial rule, it is the country's oldest and largest conglomerate...
, Enrique Zobel
Enrique Zobel
Enrique Jacobo Emilio Zobel y Olgado , was a prominent Filipino businessman. The only child of Colonel Jacobo Zóbel y Roxas and Ángela Olgado, he was a member of the influential Zobel de Ayala family of the Philippines and a first cousin of Jaime Zobel de Ayala.Zobel was chief executive officer of...
. She is the mother of Iñigo Zobel and Mercedes Zobel.