Barranca Painting

Armando Villalón From the haze and other atmospheric creations Biographical Synopsis Few artists in Venezuela have the fortune to have the outright affection and admiration of the city where they were born, as expressed by Barquisimeto and its citizens for the Master Jesus Armando Villalón. Born in the capital of Lara state, on July 6th, 1945, in the midst of a middle class family. The well known landscaper, dabbled in the arts of being a parent, having built a solid economic stability, thanks to his business skills. However, those deserved achievements, product of hard work for the welfare of his family, not daunted his deepest youthful desire to be a painter. Close to turning 30 years old in 1974, Villalón began his formal training in the arts and enrolled at the Art Studio of Artist Ramon Diaz Lugo, one of the most consistent disciples of the master Rafael Monasterios, who is considered as part of the forerunners of landscape movement in Venezuela, in the early twentieth century. Almost immediately, the young Villalón demonstrated extraordinary qualities to recreate the landscape. Disciplined in his lessons, but without pawning his plastic convictions, quickly he managed to define his own style, characterized by strong and short stroke. This style is inspired by the Impressionist masters of Europe, wich Villalón had the opportunity to study in depth, thanks to the unconditional support of his wife Ysabel, who along with her two small children, did not hesitate to embark with the artist on a journey to complete his artistic training in the old continent. In 1981, the master Villalon arrived in the Spanish capital, where he took classes in drawing and painting at the prestigious Arjona study and in the printing workshop and engraving of Madrid. By then the work of "Rio Turbio Painter" was widely known in the main cities of Venezuela, like Caracas, Valencia, Maracay, Maracaibo and Barquisimeto, his hometown, where he won galleries and exhibition centers of high prestige. But once again, his natural discontent led him away from the comfort of fame, to continue the relentless pursuit of excellence. This journey had begun in Spain with the meticulous study of the Impressionists, especially the Iberian painters Joaquin Sorolla y Joaquín Mir, whose work he confesses captive, at this stage of his life.