Alirio Palacios: An equestrian artist

Alirio Palacios is a Venezuelan plastic artist known for his great versatility that stood out in his career as an equestrian artist. He is a Venezuelan artist who has left his mark thanks to his work and who we will talk about today.

At present, we can see the evolution of equestrian art that has been changing, since the first artistic manifestations are known, such as the petroglyphs. Today we can see paintings, sculptures, comics, traditional drawings, digital drawings, comics, movies, plays where horses are the protagonists.

Throughout this installment we will address what is related to this great contemporary artist Alirio Palacios.

We welcome you with a phrase alluding to the world of plastic arts.

“Art is not what you see, but what makes others see.” Edgar Degas

Alirio Palacios, a versatile artist

Art has been manifested by human beings since ancient times, proof of this are the hieroglyphs they drew.

Little by little art evolved and with it the artist. Well, every time he has had access to more materials, tools and even academic training.

Undoubtedly, the Venezuelan Alirio Palacios has left traces in the world of the arts.

This is an extremely versatile artist since he has worked as a painter, draftsman and also in engraving. For the above, he managed to become one of the most important plastic artists in Venezuela in the second half of the twentieth century.

The brilliance of an artistic star of the sixties

Brilliance as an artist in the 60s, and the drawing boom of the 70s, which made him worthy of the National Prize for Plastic Arts in 1972.

Alirio Palacios made his art a cosmopolitan style of life and creation.

Alirio Palacios expressed the following in relation to horses:

“… I have always been fascinated by horses, I traveled to China and other places in the world drawing horses, drawing, drawing, paper, paper that I want to do until the last day…”

His admiration for horses gave Alirio Palacios that impulse to develop as an equestrian artist in Venezuela.

 

Biography and academic background of Alirio Palacios: A versatile artist

Alirio Palacios was born on December 12, 1938, in the community of “el Volcán”, Delta Amacuro state. As a child he liked to paint the Orinoco and the animals of the area where he lived.

Around 1955, Alirio Palacios began his studies of pure art and graphic arts at the School of Plastic and Applied Arts in Caracas.

He shone in the arts, and proof of this was that in 1959 he traveled to Vienna representing his native country at the VII World Festival of Youth and Students.

This was the beginning that gave him the impetus to start his cosmopolitan life. Alirio then settled in New York, but frequently traveled to Caracas.

Later, he focused on his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.

He later won a scholarship from the Chinese government to attend the University of Fine Arts in Beijing. In this University he dedicated himself to studying woodcut and developed the calligraphic stroke. This was the differentiating element of other artists, giving a unique touch to their works.

Later he returned to Venezuela and worked with Alejandro Otero in the Design Workshop of the National Institute of Culture and Fine Arts (INCIBA).

A little more about the academic training of Alirio Palacios, an equestrian artist

Continuing with the academic training of this equestrian artist is the following:

• In 1968 he was in charge of designing the National Journal of Culture and IMAGEN Magazine
• Started training at the University of Warsaw, in order to specialize in graphic techniques.
• The following year he continued his training process in the engraving workshop of the West Berlin Academy of Art.
• In 1973 he studied at the Centre for Contemporary Engraving in Geneva.
• Between 1975 and 1985, that is, for a decade he was part of the teaching team of the Neumann Institute in Caracas.
• He was in charge of making the series “Memorias del latifundio”, where he showed his skills in the different techniques learned throughout his academic training in the world of the arts.
• In 1976 he founded together with other colleagues the Graphic Arts Workshop (TAGA).
• He joined, In 1977,  as a teacher at the Center for the Study and Teaching of Graphic Arts (CEGRA) in Caracas.
• He participated with Carlos Hernández Guerra in the XIV Sao Paulo Biennial.
• In 1985 he reinstalled his workshop in Soho, New York.
• In 1987 he was attached to the permanent mission of Venezuela to the UN.
• He started the series of Magic Horses, in the nineties , inspired by Chinese painting. In this product he is shown as a great equestrian artist.
• In 2014 he made an amazing exhibition at the Ascaso Art Gallery, in Caracas, entitled “Manchas de asombro II”.

Undoubtedly, Alirio Palacios’ career as a plastic artist was varied and interesting.

How did your diverse training influence the work of the Venezuelan artist?

It is noteworthy the training in different universities of the world, where he was able to learn various techniques and give a very unique aspect to each of his works.

An extremely versatile artist, this is the great Venezuelan Alirio Palacios who left the Venezuelan tricolor very high.

Maestro Alirio Palacios died on September 11, 2015 in Caracas, at the age of 77.

This man left a legacy in the world of the arts and stood out in the world of plastic arts inside and outside Venezuela.

Undoubtedly, this artist is an example for all those who are making works of painting, sculpture, engraving among others.

Equestrian art as a form of admiration for the horse

Gustavo Mirabal Castro loves horses, which is why he greatly values equestrian art.

He usually looks closely at each sculpture, painting or other work of art that pays homage to horses.

In addition, Gustavo Mirabal admire the career of this artist who, although versatile, has dedicated a space to shape his works of art highlighting the beauty of horses.

We close this article with a phrase alluding to the world of the arts.

“The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inner meaning.” Aristotle.