National Hispanic Heritage Month Special

One of the irrefutable benefits of living in a multicultural society is the constant exposure to an array of global traditions. Currently, 52 million people or 16.7 % of America’s national population is Hispanic and Latino. National Hispanic Heritage Month offers the perfect opportunity to honor the richness and diversity of Latino and Spanish culture. To celebrate this month we are showcasing the work of several Hispanic artists we proudly represent.

Paula Sayago Lundin, María de Echevarría, Fiz Dominguez, Martha Jimenez, Patricia Queiruga, Pablo Serrano, Nora Pineda, and Ignacio Corral hail from far and wide in the Spanish-speaking world. Their work is firmly planted in the artistic traditions of their native countries: Chile, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, and Cuba. They represent different generations and work in a variety of styles and mediums. But there is also an aesthetic that brings these artists together. We asked them to name a Hispanic or Latina/o visual or musical artist who has had a positive influence on their artistic practice and/or life, and why.

“One of my biggest inspirations was my college engraving professor, Guillermo Frommer. His work, “The Temptation of St. Anthony,” was very inspiring to me. It’s something very personal” — Paula Sayago Lundin.

“My painting The Poor Girl was inspired by a photograph by an Argentine photographer. The image of the girl captures the poverty of the country. The photo influenced the dream that inspired my work” — Fiz Dominguez.

“Picasso, Diego Rivera, and the passionate Frida Kahlo are the Hispanic artists who inspire me. Clients and collectors have told me that I remind them of Frida. Knowing this truly amazing artist’s life story, I believe they saw the passion in Frida as a Mexican woman and artist. This passion we do, indeed, share!” — Nora Pineda.

“Most of the time I need music, instrumental or vocal, when I’m painting. Not only does it help me find inspiration, but it adds pleasure to my life. Among other singers, I enjoy listening to Lila Downs, the Mexican-American singer and songwriter. Her music and singing is very personal. She is able to transmit a broad range of emotions with her voice” — María de Echevarría.

“The main point of reference and inspiration in my artistic career is the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. I also admire the renowned Argentine artist Emilio Petorutti. These artists’ character, extroversion, challenge, the ability to create a dialogue about their work influenced me! Though I also believe that my energetic and cheerful personality, always in search of something new, has added some colors and shapes to the history of art! The music that inspired my work, it is obviously the Tango: a type of music and dance that originated in Argentina at the end of the 18th century and was banned until the beginning of the 19th century. The Argentine artist Carlos Gardel was the best-known Tango singer in the world. He took this music to Paris around 1915. The lyrics of the Tango songs refer to the feeling, way of life, and also the facts of the life of the Argentine. It refers to the essence of what Argentina is!” — Patricia Queiruga.

“I’ve been influenced by a lot of great Spanish artists. However, the amazing sense of spirituality in the artwork of Antoni Tapies, one of the world’s leading advocates of Informalism (the Spanish version of Abstract Expressionism), and his deep analysis of the human condition indelibly marked my work. And from Latino America I choose Joaquin Torres Garcia, the Uruguayan painter who created his artworks in a metaphysical key. His geometric forms are mystical ideas of proportion and order, full of universal symbols. He looked for a rational and universal paradigm that would lay the foundation for a truly modern American Art” — Ignatius.

“The list can be endless, however, there are voices, such as the Buena Vista Social Club, which for me stand out as revealing, unique and stimulating in the Latin American panorama. I am attracted by their sense of rhythm, freshness, and grace when addressing themes of everyday life. Their strength, musicality, encouragement move me, as does the fact that they are the true ambassadors of the Latin feeling” — Martha Jimenez.

“I really love and I am inspired by the Mexican artist Jazzamoart! He is both a visual artist and a musician! As a visual artist he is into contemporary painting and music; he loves jazz and plays saxophone among other instruments! My skinny, graceful, human-like sculptures are reminiscent of his paintings. I love every piece of art he makes!” — Pablo Serrano.