Page 361 - Arte e Historia
P. 361
Art and History
at the Banco popular dominicano visual arts collection
military who planned and executed the tyrant’s assassina- author of paintings, generally showcasing at commercial
tion of May 30th, 1961. galleries. At the time the tyrannicide takes place, in 1961,
he lives in New York City.
After Trujillos death, the killings continued under
his heirs and servile executioners, increasing the impris- «Landscape (waterfall),» oil/canvas 65.5x96 cm., 1962. A
onment, blood and persecution, but also the anti-trujillis- painting produced with academic accuracy, with soft colours
mo social resistance, pouring out into all the main cities’ palette, transcribing a naturalist vision of a grove with a
streets. The familiar elites assumed a historical political creek forming a slight waterfall at a crag and stones barrier.
leadership that forced the change from authoritarianism The light emphasizes the landscape intimate accent.
to a democratic trial. In such circumstances, the artistic
disciplines behaved in diverse ways: Yoryi Morel. With more than three decades confirmed
a. The arts undergo a productive transit in 1960-1961 as a great painter of a national, modern stature; top
in which, well-known and emerging masters, represent of the line on the scholar standard in Santiago de los
the consolidated path of the national visual creation. Caballeros region; the critic Manuel Valldeperes stated
about him in 1963: «To say that Yoryi Morel is a distinct
b. Artists who witness the drama the country’s capital Dominican painter doesn’t disclose anything we haven’t
was going through, transcribed the impact of the events already certainly known; but it is of the upmost impor-
like the April, 24th, 1965 urban war. tance to stress that because the main influence on this
painter’s work has been, and still ins, his homeland.
c. The new chapter of the Dominican expressionism, That’s why our approach to Morel’s work is, first of all,
is present in almost all the painters, especially at the core of an emotional one. His canvas’ scale, composition and ef-
young artists representing in general the 1960s’ decade. fect, along with their colours and forms; are felt more
than thought. Because of this simple but decisive reason,
Juan Plutarco Andújar. (Montecristi, 1931). Being the spectator looking at his work with the intention of
joining the artist’s feelings towards a given theme –the
still an adolescent, he experimented with the paintbrush only way to go in depth on a painting- finds it attractive
while accompanying his father to paint houses and street and suggestive.»
signs, especially in Manzanillo’s area. In 1945, at age 14,
he was taken to the capital city and recruited, due to his «Flamboyan Tree,» oil/canvas, 75x 59 cm., 1966. A land-
talent, to continue scholar instruction. He assumed vari- scape defined by a lateral tree grove, with a princely flam-
ous trades until Angelita Trujillo Martínez turns him into boyan tree, as it is also called the branched trunk, and
one of her closers aid and managed to get him a designa- plenty of very attractive bright red color flowers. The tree
tion at the Dominican Institute of Cartography. There, tilts its foliage on all the composition’s pictorial exten-
he showed his drawing skills while undertaking, in the sion. There is a fence at the forefront, divided from the
1950s decade, Architecture and Medicine studies. In second plane by a narrow, long river, including mounds,
1953 he enrols at the National School of Fine Arts. His trees, mountain and a white clouds sky. Yellows colours
main masters will be Yoryi Morel, José Gausachs y José light up the surroundings, creating contrasts with the
Vela Zanetti. From 1953-1958 he paints decorative murals green, especially with the reds and the mountainous
in several Santo Domingo’s homes and takes part in two indigo. «Landscape,» oil/canvas, 24x30 cm., 1961. A tree on
relevant showings: the Fine Arts Palace opening exhibi- a hump is the centre stage on a landscape including a
tion in 1956; and the VIII National Biennial in 1958. group of houses and palm trees, near and far away on
On the National Gallery of Fine Arts catalogue, ed-
ited in 1963, his biographic information shows him as an
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