Juan De La Cruz

I was born in Peru, where I began painting as a child on the margins of newspapers, simply because there was nothing else to paint on. A box of watercolors I received as a gift turned that habit into a lifelong passion. My work is deeply rooted in the colors and forms of Quechua and Inca culture, which shaped my palette and my identity as a painter. I work in strong, vibrant impasto — for me, color is an extension of the soul, a direct mirror of emotion. Horses and women are at the heart of my work: symbols of creation, freedom and beauty. I paint, above all, for myself.

Classically trained at a private art academy in Peru under master painter Jaime Arce. Winner of national painting competitions. My artistic vision was further shaped by archaeology seminars on pre-Columbian culture and by the great Peruvian masters, above all José Sabogal.