A closer look at the humble upbringing and a rise to success of the Colombian realism master: Carlos Arturo Guerra

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When we speak of the highest aesthetic, a picture that’s worth a thousand words is a painting by the Colombian artist Carlos Arturo Guerra. He established his name in Colombia as one of the exceptionally talented realist artists and since his work has not been shown in Europe yet, we are glad to be the first in opening a new door for this remarkable painter. In this article we briefly share the story on how he rose to success and highlights from our recent interview.

Carlos Arturo Guerra, born in 1964, is greatly inspired by nature and still life compositions. “I think that my paintings emit a feeling of peace to the more sensitive viewers, at least that’s what I’ve been told. Even though in my inner self I do sometimes feel the moments of chaos, I always end up painting the pacific themes”, shares the artist. He likes to investigate traditional, classical themes found in the work of European masters, like Rembrandt, Velázquez, Caravaggio and Van Gogh. Furthermore, he prefers to use traditional techniques and materials such as pastel on paper, oil on canvas and pencils.

“Although in my inner self
I do sometimes feel the moments of chaos,
I always end up painting the pacific themes.”

This classical inclination can be attributed to his traditional, humble upbringing in a family with 8 children, and the basic information about art that was available to him in his formative period. He started drawing at a very young age, according to his mother at around two years old, when they were still living in a country house in Gómez Plata, a Northern part of Colombia. The need to creatively express himself was already so strong that he picked up a dry tree branch and started drawing in the sand of the patio. He drew a horse that he saw near by. The drawing was very accurate and therefore very much advanced for his age. This surprised his mother and made her feel very happy.

After this first manifestation of his talent, Carlos Arturo continued drawing with pencils and when he started going to school, he was able to sell some of his superhero drawings to his classmates. The teachers noticed his talent as well and asked him to draw on the blackboard. Until one day a teacher called his mother to say that young Carlos Arturo was not giving enough attention to other subjects because he was drawing so much.

Despite of that his parents have always supported him. Especially his mother went to great lengths to show her support of her son’s talent. The artist remembers a special experience when he was about 15 years old. The family of Carlos Arturo had already moved to the city, near which a new museum of Omar Rayo was inaugurated. Omar Rayo was a reknown Colombian artist, who practiced a modern, geometrical painting style. The mother heard that the master himself would be present at the inauguration and proposed to take her son to meet him and ask him to look at the paintings that young Carlos Arturo had made. This was without any previous appointment or speaking to the artist ever before!

Once at the museum, asking for the artist they’ve heard that he was not there, but found out where he was living and after visiting the exhibition went to look for the artist at his home. The master welcomed them kindly together with his wife and looked at the paintings they brought thoroughly. Even though his style was very different to that of Carlos Arturo Guerra, to their delight he said that the paintings were good. Finally, the master advised young Carlos Arturo to not stop painting and to do it like an athlete, every single day, striving to improve himself and polish his painting skills.

From there on Carlos Arturo took the master’s advice and painted everyday until his dream to get into an art academy came true. Around his twenties local galleries became interested in his paintings and offered a chance to show them in his first exhibitions. He also had a chance to exhibit his work at various art fairs. All these advancements were creating a snowball effect in his career. Soon, his paintings started to sell and were published in numerous art books.

“His work is full of realistic spirit and has a great fidelity for the details, values that correspond with his conservative attitude and his great respect for the rules of good taste and that of his good painting,”- wrote Alejandro Morales in 1990 about Carlos Arturo Guerra. That year the artist had reached a high in his artistic career. He had started showing his work internationally and initiated a collaboration with one of the most important galleries, “Galería Duque Arango”, in the second biggest city of Colombia, Medellín.

“The art for me is my daily bread, like my breathing, my daily life and my existence.”

In 1999 he spent one year living and painting in Miami, USA, were he exhibited next to the best Latin American artists, like Fernando Botero. Nevertheless, Carlos Arturo still sees himself as an apprentice who is in the process of developing his talent. He is not chasing fame but simply enjoys painting. His sensitive, self- critical and solitary character often leads him to seek shelter away from the busyness, where he can contemplate his own ideas. Always searching for the aesthetic in everything.

Since the end of the 90’ies he had a constant demand for his art and continued painting with a high sense of responsibility. As the artist explains himself: “I noticed that if I don’t paint or draw, I become stressed. I’d feel bad and guilty. The art for me is my daily bread, like my breathing, my daily life and my existence.” He normally paints in his home studio in Medellín but also enjoys painting in an open air. The complete curriculum of Carlos Arturo Guerra can be found on our website.

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