Julio Larraz
The Left Wing / cm 152x198 / Anno 2011 / Olio su tela, Oil on canvas
The mandarin at Anchor / cm 153x183 / Anno 2005 / Olio su tela, Oil on canvas
Julio Larraz pittore realista, è considerato sulla scena internazionale come il maggior esponente dell’arte contemporanea caraibica. Con le sue originali rappresentazioni egli coniuga una visione realistica non genericamente sociale, come si potrebbe intendere, ma rigorosamente etica. Accostarsi alla sua opera significa disporsi a comprendere non solo la forza suggestiva delle straordinarie figurazioni o la tecnica pittorica impeccabile, ma la densità dei contenuti che vi sono sottintesi e riferibili agli aspetti sociologici ed etici della sua concezione del mondo e della storia. Larraz conferma di restare, in ogni caso, un artista inconfondibilmente legato alle proprie origini, al senso autentico di un impegno appassionato alle situazioni di vita politica e sociale, alla concezione di un’arte dichiaratamente rappresentativa – prima di tutto per ragioni morali e poi espressive – alla necessità, infine, di rielaborare, di continuo, motivi e forme di ispirazione sulla base di interiori istanze poetiche.
Julio Larraz realist painter, renowned internationally as a major exponent of contemporary Caribbean art. The character of Julio Larraz’s painting, though deeply rooted in the soil of classic tradition, whether it is European or American, takes on a more personal significance: the originality of his paintings reflects a vision of realism, not precisely social as we often perceive it, but a severely ethical realism. The images of landscapes, still-lifes, portraits, and narratives are strictly grafted from an indigenous culture – nurtured by various philosophical and literary principles – and combined with instinct, a possessive “regarde”, with which the artist can identify himself, a summary of perceptive objectivity and intellectual disillusionment. To study his art means to be prepared to understand not only the emotional force involved in the extraordinary representations, or the impeccable techniques utilized in their creation, but also the focus on and the underlying references to sociological and moral themes. Larraz is unequivocally an artist who is strongly connected to his birthplace and possesses an authentic feeling of obligation to narrate political and social situations, profoundly represented in his art – primarily, for moral and expressive reasons.
Julio Larraz realist painter, renowned internationally as a major exponent of contemporary Caribbean art. The character of Julio Larraz’s painting, though deeply rooted in the soil of classic tradition, whether it is European or American, takes on a more personal significance: the originality of his paintings reflects a vision of realism, not precisely social as we often perceive it, but a severely ethical realism. The images of landscapes, still-lifes, portraits, and narratives are strictly grafted from an indigenous culture – nurtured by various philosophical and literary principles – and combined with instinct, a possessive “regarde”, with which the artist can identify himself, a summary of perceptive objectivity and intellectual disillusionment. To study his art means to be prepared to understand not only the emotional force involved in the extraordinary representations, or the impeccable techniques utilized in their creation, but also the focus on and the underlying references to sociological and moral themes. Larraz is unequivocally an artist who is strongly connected to his birthplace and possesses an authentic feeling of obligation to narrate political and social situations, profoundly represented in his art – primarily, for moral and expressive reasons.