FERNANDO ZAPATA With a career of more than 30 years Fernando Zapata has made a mark in the art world of New York, Colombia and Spain with his exclusive elegant painting technique. Born in Medellin, Colombia, son of Gilberto Zapata Isaza, a known Colombian politician and journalist, writer of books like “Lo que López Michelsen olvidó contar”, -2002-
During his childhood it was a difficult political time for Colombia that included the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán which started an era known as “El Bogotazo”, creating a series of unrest throughout the country. He was a scholar and studied mechanical engineering. Later in 1968 Fernando decided to move to New York City where he discovered his talent as a figurative artistic artist which led him to explore opportunities in Paris, France in discovering more the world of art.
While in Europe he spent a couple of years studying art living in different cities such as Munich Germany and Rome, Italy. In 1989, Fernando return home to Bogota, Colombia for his first art exhibit which launched his career as a figurative artist, as well an innovator using pastel on rice paper bonded on canvas. This technique and Hallmark of six feet canvases created a series of opportunities for Mr Zapata in the artistic world where it took him on a multi-year tour around the world from South America to New York City to Europe.
Even though Mr Zapata has never exhibited in Asia his technique and style is very popular there since many of his clients are from Asian countries. Currently, he located his studio in Miami to focus on his more incredible paintings. Mr Zapata’s son Daniel Zapata is a known Pop/Rock musical artist that inherited the same passion for the arts and entertainment who sometimes shares the stage creating an amazing full artistic experience for all to enjoy.
FERNANDO ZAPATA: A NEW FORM OF THE FIGURE
One of the most current discussions about the plastic language, is the definition and validity of the language of the figuration and specifically this, applied to a specific medium which is Drawing.
When we find the work of Fernando Zapata, the product of a constant search for more than thirty years, and as a special surprise, with a work of international recognition that today is presented in this house as a new and interesting new work , we have only to think that the historical racking of our art history confirms the saying of “no one is a prophet in his land”, but not expressed negatively or complexly, but rather as an opportunity to materialize the changes in the country from the strengthening of the languages of the culture, of the academic formations and the recognition of the self-formation, which in this case in Fernando translates into constant discipline accompanied by a high sensitization and the fear of addressing new technical problems.
We could define the thematic content in Fernando from three specific chapters: the first, the formal result of his concern for anatomy, it is not about replicating great national and international teachers, but addressing the problem of the body as an object loaded with sensations and eroticism, which tell stories that the viewer identifies as their own existence or ideal. And is that the body is the excuse for Fernando to believe from him, anatomical landscapes loaded with great technical virtuosity, where the role is in the body itself and not in the identification of the character, does not reinforce the detail of the body, creates atmospheres loaded with beauty and eroticism
The second chapter would be the Anatomical Detail, where from the composition we see enlarged the anatomical details as by a macro lens and it is in this vision, that as in the theory of the fractals of physics the part shows us the whole. It is the action of the body that tells the story and reminds the viewer that for the appreciation of beauty, it is only enough to grow our possibility of observing detail.
Finally, the third chapter would be the portrait, and I intentionally put it in the last place because the portrait for Fernando, as a recurring theme for almost all of the artists, poses the hallmark of stylistic differentiation between them, it is in him that we perceive the sentiment expressed more than the physical descriptions to identify the character, in this case, the artist captures the soul that makes us sensitive and different from the other as a spectator, is the magical game between the rational and the petic.
Not surprisingly Fernando, I wait all this time outside the country, feeding back for his creative act of new airs, and in this way to propose this theme in which he as a citizen of the world presents his vision of Colombia seen through their bodies and his fantasies, Technically, the technique of pastel on rice paper and then superimposed on the canvas, recovers what is presented at the beginning of this text, which is the new role of drawing in contemporary art where more than reproduce reality, this it intermingles with the dream and with the particular gaze of the viewer that is transcended to really become a communicational and real text of the new concerns of the inhabitant of today’s world.
His giant sizes ennoble the situation of man, in which the weights of speed and everyday rags are dwarfed, and from Fernando’s work, he finds the interpretation of a new humanism.
It is only enough to open the heart to observe in detail the richness of this work, because for Fernando the technical problem is only to materialize that constant search to find a way to share his particular view of the world, with everyone who has the privilege of observing it.
Mauricio Hincapié Acosta
Curator
Visual Arts Collection
University Museum
University of Antioquia
FERNANDO ZAPATA: UNA NUEVA FORMA DE LA FIGURACIÓN
Una de las discusiones más actuales en torno al lenguaje plástico, es la definición y vigencia del lenguaje de la figuración y específicamente ésta, aplicada a un medio específico cual es el Dibujo.
Cuando nos encontramos con el conjunto de obra de Fernando Zapata, producto de una búsqueda constante desde hace más de treinta años, y como sorpresa especial, con un trabajo de reconocimiento internacional que hoy se presenta en esta su casa como una obra nueva novedosa e interesante, no nos queda más que pensar que el trasegar histórico de nuestra historia del arte confirma el dicho de “nadie es profeta en su tierra”, pero no expresado con negatividad o complejo, sino más bien como una oportunidad de materializar los cambios ocurridos en el país a partir del fortalecimiento de los lenguajes de la cultura, de las formaciones académicas y el reconocimiento de la auto formación, que en este caso en Fernando se traduce en disciplina constante acompañada de una alta sensibilización y el no temor a abordar nuevas problemáticas técnicas.
Podríamos definir el contenido temático en Fernando a partir de tres capítulos específicos: el primero, el resultado formal de su preocupación por la anatomía, en ella no se trata de replicar grandes maestros nacionales e internacionales, sino abordar el problema del cuerpo como objeto cargado de sensaciones y erotismo, que narran historias que el espectador identifica como propias de su existencia o su ideal. Y es que el cuerpo es la excusa para que Fernando cree a partir de él, paisajes anatómicos cargados de gran virtuosismo técnico, donde el protagonismo está en el cuerpo mismo y no en la identificación del personaje, no refuerza el detalle del cuerpo, crea atmosferas cargadas de belleza y erotismo.
El segundo capítulo sería el Detalle anatómico, donde a partir de la composición vemos ampliados los detalles anatómicos como por un lente macro y es en esta visión, que como en la teoría de los fractales de la física la parte nos muestra el todo. Es la acción del cuerpo la que narra la historia y recuerda al espectador que para la apreciación de lo bello solo basta con crecer nuestra posibilidad de la observación del detalle.
Por último el tercer capítulo sería el retrato, e intencionalmente lo planteo en último lugar porque el retrato para Fernando, como tema recurrente para casi la totalidad de los artistas, plantea el sello de diferenciación estilística entre unos y otros, es en él, que percibimos el sentimiento expresado más que las descripciones físicas para identificar el personaje, en este caso, el artista captura el alma que nos vuelve sensibles y diferentes al otro como espectador, es el juego mágico entre lo racional y lo petico.
No en vano Fernando, espero todo este tiempo fuera del país, retroalimentándose para su acto creativo de nuevos aires, y de este modo proponernos esta temática en la que él como ciudadano del mundo nos presenta su visión de Colombia vista a través de sus cuerpos y sus fantasías, Técnicamente, la técnica del pastel sobre papel de arroz y luego sobrepuesto sobre la lona, recupera lo que se presenta al principio de este texto, cual es el nuevo protagonismo del dibujo en el arte contemporáneo donde más que reproducir la realidad, esta se entremezcla con el sueño y con la mirada particular del espectador que es trascendido para convertirse realmente en un texto comunicacional y real de las nuevas preocupaciones del habitante del mundo del hoy.
Sus tamaños gigantes ennoblecen la situación del hombre, en el que los pesos de la velocidad y los trasegares cotidianos se ve empequeñecido, y a partir de la obra de Fernando, encuentra la interpretación de un nuevo humanismo.
Solo basta con abrir el corazón para observar en detalle la riqueza de esta obra, pues para Fernando el problema técnico solo es materializar esa búsqueda constante de encontrar el modo de compartir su mirada particular del mundo, con todo aquel que tiene el privilegio de observarla.
Mauricio Hincapié Acosta
Curador
Colección de Artes Visuales
Museo Universitario
Universidad de Antioquia