San Antonio de Oriente

José Antonio Velásquez was a self-taught artist recognized for his naïf style and genre paintings. His work is often associated with the primitivist style of French artists Henri Rousseau and André Bauchant, although his paintings are unique in their meticulous attention to the details and most emblematic characteristics of the Honduran rural landscape. His work moves away from a preoccupation with spatial perspective; instead, constructing space through a juxtaposition of elements and aerial views. San Antonio de Oriente was a mining town founded in 1660 that fell into oblivion after its silver mine was exhausted. This forgotten village became a constant theme in Velásquez’s work. In this painting, titled after the town, he explored the iconography and idiosyncrasies of its landscape, such as the colonial church, pine trees, roof tiles, traditionally-costumed peasants, children, and animals. A methodical treatment of color and composition imbues his work with harmony and stability. This painting is filled with nostalgia for an idyllic place where nature and humans happily coexist. "The World of a Primitive Painter" (1972), a documentary commissioned by the Organization of American States, offers a poetic and thoughtful examination of Velásquez’s humble approach to painting and the exquisite expression of his artistic sensibility.

This text was created in collaboration with the University of Maryland Department of Art History & Archaeology and written by Patricia Ortega-Miranda.