Latin American colonial art will be year-end main attraction at CAF Gallery

The upcoming end-of-year and new year’s eve festivities offer a great opportunity for the CAF Gallery to exhibit religion-inspired pieces by artists belonging to the colonial period in the region. CAF-development of bank Latin America- has partnered with Simón Bolívar University and Colección Mercantil to showcase a selection of paintings and images that are part of their renowned colonial art collections.

“This exhibition combines art and history, and seeks to highlight the spirit of peace and coexistence expressed in various paintings of a devotional nature, and to become a means for reflection, a beacon of hope and an icon for brotherhood in our region,” said Luis Carranza, CAF executive president. 

The “Latin American Colonial Art” exhibit consists of more than 30 paintings and images that depict fellowship among people, a typical feeling this time of the year. These works also portray the origins of Hispanic art in America and coincide with the initial formation of nations on this continent, so they are therefore a valuable testimony to the religious fervor of artists and craftsmen who used to convey to their people an imaginary full of hope and reconciliation.

“The art pieces exhibited here are evidence of the religious zeal of the people of Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela, whose artists–mostly anonymous–portrayed it for devotional purposes for the everyday life of their peers. We are fortunate that these art pieces have endured over time and bring us closer to a common past that helps create closer regional ties today,” said the rector of the Simón Bolívar University, Enrique Planchart.

The curator of the exhibit, Mariela Provenzali, also noted that Hispanic America favored the development of religious painting since the 16th century, when colonization brought the challenge of evangelization for a population that had their own beliefs and representations of the divine. “There are still places in Latin America where we can see that connection between believers and religious images, with the same sense of search for protection against the adversities of our time. And despite the aesthetic sense given today to spirituality and its figurations, there are people in the region who have kept devotion as a source of hope,” he added.

The “Latin American Colonial Art” exhibit will be open on November 1 at the CAF Gallery, on the ground floor of the CAF Tower in Altamira, Caracas, from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.