Works by Ram贸n Oviedo are great in emotion as they play with the contrast between a balanced visual aspect and imbalanced figures, often inserted into an ambiguous space. In "Cultura Petrificada" the half-ghost, half-mummy-like figures are immobilized in unreal postures upon a red-orange background. The references to Taino art -the name of the people of the great West Indies from the ninth to late fifteenth century- are visible through the facial features but also the general atmosphere of the painting that balances between mysticism and a surrealist approach.

Artist Biography

Born in 1927 in Barahona, Ramon Oviedo is today regarded as one of the referential figures of Latin American art. Considered a pioneer of Expressionism in the Dominican Republic, he has created several important mural projects for organizations worldwide in the U.S.A., Latin America and Europe. In 1992, one of his murals was inaugurated at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. His first works involved political and social issues. From the 1970s, certain surreal references appear for the first time in his paintings. Later, his work evolved towards more abstract patterns, including Taino art motifs.

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