Exhibit Info
This Exhibition Is No Longer Showing
Title:
Salvadoran Art: A Father and Son
Dates:
September 19 until November 27 2022
Location:
2nd Floor Reading Room
Artist Statement
Saúl A López
My passion for the arts started early in life in my native El Salvador through my studies in history and reading the daily news. Although the seeds of my inspiration were planted when I was young, I lacked the proper support and help to feed my hunger for the arts. It became even more difficult with the outbreak of the Salvadoran civil war, and it was years before my dreams of creativity became a reality.
My opportunity came in 1973 when I immigrated to the USA and began taking art classes at Lehman College in New York. As I gained my footing in this new country I began to develop my own style. My dream of expressing myself as an artist continues as I learn and take advantage of all the opportunities that this great, diverse land has to offer. My inspirations are the environment that surrounds me, my family and friends and reflections on where I came from and where I’m going in life.
Featured in this show are my Petate Paintings. A petate [peˈtate] is a bedroll used in Central America and Mexico. Its name comes from the Náhuatl word petlatl [ˈpet͡ɬat͡ɬ]. The petate is woven from the fibers of the Palm of petate (Leucothrinax morrisii). The Royal Spanish Academy defines it as a bed. Generally petates are woven in quadrangular forms, though not to any exact dimensions. Painting on a petate offers a unique challenge and it also allows me to connect with my homeland on a deeper level.
Saul López
My father, Saul A. Lopez, is a painter by profession. I was never interested in painting until I tried my hand in New York street art. I really got introduced into oil painting with the PBS show “The Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross. Later, my father encouraged me to pursue the arts and develop my own style. I paint in oil on canvas. I like to paint in a realistic fashion, but mostly create surrealistic art and simple graphic art. I also love to paint skateboard decks for myself and for others. Several decks that I have painted are included in this show along with traditional paintings.